Gimps

Quoted from Helgy

Beat Oldham, Ipswich, Brighton, Burnley & held Arsenal for 45 minutes.
Most made the mistake of thinking they could swap the whole team around and beat us.
If Arsenal had put out the side that played Sutton I would have fancied us to beat them.
Their prep work is amazing at least championship standard, Arsenal staff were very complimentary.
The back up team from the chef all the way through is top notch.
With their approach I can't see L2 being an issue but who knows.

As much as you are Gimps supporter Helgy you come on here posts sensibly and don't troll which I for one appreciate so for that I personally think on this isolated occasion you should be allowed to get away with the comment above in bold, other posters though may think your a total smug smart bottom!

Don't be fooled in thinking that the Cowley's will be the only one's applying due diligence, video analysis, modern prep and sports science etc.. in L2 next year as they are doing this already and have been for a while, shock horror!!! when you go up you may not be the only fish in a much bigger pond..........In fact you might even have to get used to being a bit behind the other set ups.  

When I saw Lincoln's side that faced Ipswich earlier in the season, I was surprised that it was 5 or 6 points clear in the Conference then. If you compare their side to ours last season. Wood is inferior to Tait by some distance and Waterfall and Raggett aren't nearly as good as Toto, Pearson and Gowling. Habergham is a good player and Woodyard and Power are both good but as good as Dis and Nolan? Not sure. Theo Robinson looked a real handful and so did Rhead so they are probably as effective as Amond and Bogle were in a different way. We all know Arnold would play in the Championship if he plays like he can do evey week.

The fact they have so many more points than we ever got suggests that the Cowleys are fantastic as they seem to drag that extra 10% out of the players that you need and that is compensating for the slight lack of quality. They also appeared to have a very clear understanding of one anothers roles and jobs and were all very comfortable playing with each other in the system they played. It all just seemed to fot nicely into place which is testament to thei organisational skills and ability to motivate the players. I wouldn't want them as our management team because their style of football is decidedly ugly from what I've seen. Lots of long balls up to Rhead but it is effective.

League 2 is faster physically and mentally but also very, very even. There isn't much between the 16 sides in the middle of the table at all. Lincoln wil need to bring in some decent quality players but with their South African friends, the FA Cup run and increased gates they should have plenty of money to sign these players. I look forward to playing Lincoln again next season, always love a good local derby against them, I've missed our annual Boxing Day 3 points.

I'd imagine that if the Cowleys do well with Lincoln next season they may well be poached by a much bigger and successful club. It is evident to me that those lads know exactly what they're doing to get teams winning games in that league. I'd expect them next season do similar to how we've done this term, which I'm sure most Lincoln fans would be happy with.

I hope that Mr Fenty permits some additional focus on sport science and technical development so we can compete on the same level as they seem to be at off the pitch. If what the BBC tells us is correct then their off the field preparation and sport science facilities are fantastic and we need to aim for these heights as our players will be fitter and also better on the ball, hence leading to much better results and possibly even a promotion to League 1 for the completion of our new stadium.

Cowleys have got a group of (mostly) average players playing as a solid and committed unit, like Cheltenham last year. Will need new additions for L2, but if the Cowleys stay, they'll finish top half as a minimum IMO.

Quoted from Mariner_09

When I saw Lincoln's side that faced Ipswich earlier in the season, I was surprised that it was 5 or 6 points clear in the Conference then. If you compare their side to ours last season. Wood is inferior to Tait by some distance and Waterfall and Raggett aren't nearly as good as Toto, Pearson and Gowling. Habergham is a good player and Woodyard and Power are both good but as good as Dis and Nolan? Not sure. Theo Robinson looked a real handful and so did Rhead so they are probably as effective as Amond and Bogle were in a different way. We all know Arnold would play in the Championship if he plays like he can do evey week.

The fact they have so many more points than we ever got suggests that the Cowleys are fantastic as they seem to drag that extra 10% out of the players that you need and that is compensating for the slight lack of quality. They also appeared to have a very clear understanding of one anothers roles and jobs and were all very comfortable playing with each other in the system they played. It all just seemed to fot nicely into place which is testament to thei organisational skills and ability to motivate the players. I wouldn't want them as our management team because their style of football is decidedly ugly from what I've seen. Lots of long balls up to Rhead but it is effective.

League 2 is faster physically and mentally but also very, very even. There isn't much between the 16 sides in the middle of the table at all. Lincoln wil need to bring in some decent quality players but with their South African friends, the FA Cup run and increased gates they should have plenty of money to sign these players. I look forward to playing Lincoln again next season, always love a good local derby against them, I've missed our annual Boxing Day 3 points.

I'd imagine that if the Cowleys do well with Lincoln next season they may well be poached by a much bigger and successful club. It is evident to me that those lads know exactly what they're doing to get teams winning games in that league. I'd expect them next season do similar to how we've done this term, which I'm sure most Lincoln fans would be happy with.

I hope that Mr Fenty permits some additional focus on sport science and technical development so we can compete on the same level as they seem to be at off the pitch. If what the BBC tells us is correct then their off the field preparation and sport science facilities are fantastic and we need to aim for these heights as our players will be fitter and also better on the ball, hence leading to much better results and possibly even a promotion to League 1 for the completion of our new stadium.

Good analysis 09

[quote=120909]When I saw Lincoln's side that faced Ipswich earlier in the season, I was surprised that it was 5 or 6 points clear in the Conference then. If you compare their side to ours last season. Wood is inferior to Tait by some distance and Waterfall and Raggett aren't nearly as good as Toto, Pearson and Gowling. Habergham is a good player and Woodyard and Power are both good but as good as Dis and Nolan? Not sure. Theo Robinson looked a real handful and so did Rhead so they are probably as effective as Amond and Bogle were in a different way. We all know Arnold would play in the Championship if he plays like he can do evey week.

The fact they have so many more points than we ever got suggests that the Cowleys are fantastic as they seem to drag that extra 10% out of the players that you need and that is compensating for the slight lack of quality. They also appeared to have a very clear understanding of one anothers roles and jobs and were all very comfortable playing with each other in the system they played. It all just seemed to fot nicely into place which is testament to thei organisational skills and ability to motivate the players. I wouldn't want them as our management team because their style of football is decidedly ugly from what I've seen. Lots of long balls up to Rhead but it is effective.

League 2 is faster physically and mentally but also very, very even. There isn't much between the 16 sides in the middle of the table at all. Lincoln wil need to bring in some decent quality players but with their South African friends, the FA Cup run and increased gates they should have plenty of money to sign these players. I look forward to playing Lincoln again next season, always love a good local derby against them, I've missed our annual Boxing Day 3 points.

I'd imagine that if the Cowleys do well with Lincoln next season they may well be poached by a much bigger and successful club. It is evident to me that those lads know exactly what they're doing to get teams winning games in that league. I'd expect them next season do similar to how we've done this term, which I'm sure most Lincoln fans would be happy with.

I hope that Mr Fenty permits some additional focus on sport science and technical development so we can compete on the same level as they seem to be at off the pitch. If what the BBC tells us is correct then their off the field preparation and sport science facilities are fantastic and we need to aim for these heights as our players will be fitter and also better on the ball, hence leading to much better results and possibly even a promotion to League 1 for the completion of our new stadium.[/quote]

Really good analysis 09, from what I have seen of Lincoln compared to other recent winners of the Tin Pot I think they are better than what Cheltenham where but not sure they are at the same level as Barnet or Luton where when they won it as they do rely a great deal on getting it up to the big (fat) lad.  

What I would say is that we now have an experienced manager who has managed at Championship level and every other level apart from the PL, so I am sure he will know based upon experience just as much about what advantage S&C etc...might give us and possibly what it won't. Also as he's clearly an intelligent bloke he will know how to get the best out of the resources he has at his disposal.

To be fair it came out in the week that the money for a S&C coach has been available for a while but MB wanted to wait until the end of the season as the person he wanted to recruit was not available until then.

Having all the sports science stuff is now part of the game though it will certainly help it's not the "golden ticket" to promotion it needs to sit alongside signing decent players who have good injury records, signing players that can pass the ball/have a decent first touch and sending them out to play with a proper shape and game plan.

Quoted from mariner91

You said it yourself, you beat the reserve sides of most of those teams. Not that it isn't a great achievement, it is. But you beat reserve sides who were probably struggling to motivate themselves for a banana skin game against non-league opposition whereas your side had nothing to lose. Completely different to beating teams week in and week out in a league.

If you keep the Cowleys I think you will do well next season but you will need to do major surgery to your side. Your two highest scorers are Rhead and Arnold. Rhead struggled in the league with Mansfield previously and will be 33, you can't rely on him again. You also won't have Lee Angol next season so you'll need at least two strikers. Paul Hurst released Arnold because he didn't think he would be able to perform week in, week out at FL level and he's never managed to before. Would he be up to it? On his day definitely but he's too inconsistent in my opinion.
Farman is a non-league keeper and I know a lot of your own fans see him as a weak link. He's no better than McKeown in my opinion. Waterfall, for all your protestations to the contrary, is a poor man's Shaun Pearson. You've got Bradley Wood at right back who just isn't a good enough footballer to be starting in a team at the top end of L2. A lot of your better players such as Billy Knott and Harry Anderson are on loan so may not be there next season.

The arrogance to suggest L2 won't be an "issue" is laughable. The difference in quality between the FL and the NL is huge. Just look at Cheltenham and they don't have a mug for a manager by any means. The NL has been a lower quality overall in the last two or three seasons compared to when we first went down. Lincoln have obviously done fantastically well in the league but you've hardly been steamrollering teams, most of your wins since the turn of the year have been by a single goal along with the odd 2 or 3 nil loss at places like Barrow and Boreham Wood. Like I said, keep the Cowleys and I think you'll do well next season but only if they do some major surgery to your squad.

The teams we played didn't play a reserve team but changed the team too much 6 changes was crazy.
Soon as I knew the Arsenal line up knew we would lose far too strong.

The whole team has scored goals , players at a certain age their legs go but Rheady there is far more miles in him his game is not running he's a unique player think he has a few seasons left in him yet.
We have Shane Long on loan from Reading at right back looking to sign him, same with Angol & Anderson.

The Cowleys' do get that extra percentage out of players but  it's not arrogance about L2 just a belief in the whole set up.
They have got the whole City behind the team.

We are aiming for L1 ,we have banked a fair bit attendances have been crazy, debt is paid investment is still coming in plus we will get the Academy & league money back.
First though we have to win at Gateshead nothing is certain in this game.

Quoted from Mariner_09

When I saw Lincoln's side that faced Ipswich earlier in the season, I was surprised that it was 5 or 6 points clear in the Conference then. If you compare their side to ours last season. Wood is inferior to Tait by some distance and Waterfall and Raggett aren't nearly as good as Toto, Pearson and Gowling. Habergham is a good player and Woodyard and Power are both good but as good as Dis and Nolan? Not sure. Theo Robinson looked a real handful and so did Rhead so they are probably as effective as Amond and Bogle were in a different way. We all know Arnold would play in the Championship if he plays like he can do evey week.

The fact they have so many more points than we ever got suggests that the Cowleys are fantastic as they seem to drag that extra 10% out of the players that you need and that is compensating for the slight lack of quality. They also appeared to have a very clear understanding of one anothers roles and jobs and were all very comfortable playing with each other in the system they played. It all just seemed to fot nicely into place which is testament to thei organisational skills and ability to motivate the players. I wouldn't want them as our management team because their style of football is decidedly ugly from what I've seen. Lots of long balls up to Rhead but it is effective.

League 2 is faster physically and mentally but also very, very even. There isn't much between the 16 sides in the middle of the table at all. Lincoln wil need to bring in some decent quality players but with their South African friends, the FA Cup run and increased gates they should have plenty of money to sign these players. I look forward to playing Lincoln again next season, always love a good local derby against them, I've missed our annual Boxing Day 3 points.

I'd imagine that if the Cowleys do well with Lincoln next season they may well be poached by a much bigger and successful club. It is evident to me that those lads know exactly what they're doing to get teams winning games in that league. I'd expect them next season do similar to how we've done this term, which I'm sure most Lincoln fans would be happy with.

I hope that Mr Fenty permits some additional focus on sport science and technical development so we can compete on the same level as they seem to be at off the pitch. If what the BBC tells us is correct then their off the field preparation and sport science facilities are fantastic and we need to aim for these heights as our players will be fitter and also better on the ball, hence leading to much better results and possibly even a promotion to League 1 for the completion of our new stadium.

Raggett is a fine defender, I'd have him at BP next season in a heartbeat..

Got a sneaky feeling The Cowleys will have a better offer than League Two with Lincoln on the table over the summer..

Quoted from Helgy

The teams we played didn't play a reserve team but changed the team too much 6 changes was crazy.
Soon as I knew the Arsenal line up knew we would lose far too strong.

The whole team has scored goals , players at a certain age their legs go but Rheady there is far more miles in him his game is not running he's a unique player think he has a few seasons left in him yet.
We have Shane Long on loan from Reading at right back looking to sign him, same with Angol & Anderson.

The Cowleys' do get that extra percentage out of players but  it's not arrogance about L2 just a belief in the whole set up.
They have got the whole City behind the team.

We are aiming for L1 ,we have banked a fair bit attendances have been crazy, debt is paid investment is still coming in plus we will get the Academy & league money back.
First though we have to win at Gateshead nothing is certain in this game.

Sean Long is nothing special. Nearly 22, played less than 40 games in his career and wasn't first choice for Cambridge when on loan there earlier in the season.

Good luck getting Angol, he played 40 league games for Posh last season and they paid a fee for him. He's only on loan because he had to have his ankle pinned in August and wasn't fit enough to work his way back in to the posh side this season.

You might be able to get Harry Anderson but as decent as he is, he's not someone who would be outstanding in L2.

Call it what you like but it's still arrogance to suggest that L2 "won't be an issue". Like I said, you've done very well this season but let's not pretend that you're some team of world beaters. I've seen you plenty of times on TV this season to see that whilst extremely well drilled, fit and playing to a game plan there is generally a distinct lack of quality in the games you feature in. Even last week when you beat Dagenham fairly easily, you weren't particularly impressive more that Dagenham were shite. You've already conceded more goals this season than Cheltenham did last season and you're unlikely to score as many as them either and look how they've done in L2. Your belief that this current side of yours will come straight up and waltz through L2 in it's current guise is hilariously misguided.

Quoted from Bigdog

Raggett is a fine defender, I'd have him at BP next season in a heartbeat..

Got a sneaky feeling The Cowleys will have a better offer than League Two with Lincoln on the table over the summer..

Raggett is a great defender. Habergham is also a very good player. I would have Woodyard here in a flash given the opportunity and he would be the perfect foil for Jamey Osborne. Other than that though, I wouldn't take any of their players.

Quoted from Helgy

The teams we played didn't play a reserve team but changed the team too much 6 changes was crazy.
Soon as I knew the Arsenal line up knew we would lose far too strong.

The whole team has scored goals , players at a certain age their legs go but Rheady there is far more miles in him his game is not running he's a unique player think he has a few seasons left in him yet.
We have Shane Long on loan from Reading at right back looking to sign him, same with Angol & Anderson.

The Cowleys' do get that extra percentage out of players but  it's not arrogance about L2 just a belief in the whole set up.
They have got the whole City behind the team.

We are aiming for L1 ,we have banked a fair bit attendances have been crazy, debt is paid investment is still coming in plus we will get the Academy & league money back.
First though we have to win at Gateshead nothing is certain in this game.

You've had a great season, you will win the league and to be honest I am not convinced that its a surprise to anyone, what only a lunatic would have predicted is that you got to the 6th round of the cup,again you deserve credit for that.

If you get a chance try and check out extended highlights at least of the likes of Donny, Portsmouth, Plymouth, Exeter etc. Despite being a Lincoln fan Helgy you clearly have a sensible view on football so if you can catch footage of these sides you will see that there is a massive amount for you to do with that squad if you want to get out of L2 next season.

Yes you have the management talent are building the facilities and have good money in the bank but the difference is that there will be a good half a dozen plus teams who have the same and "have been there and done that" in terms of FL experience on and off the pitch.  

Added to that it's a funny league in that teams in the lower half of the table often beat the upper half which illustrates that it is far more competitive than the league you are about to win where only the likes of Tranmere, FGR and Dagenham provide a serious threat to you. You will face many more teams with less resource than you next season but with more than enough savvy, experience and desire to beat you home & away.

Could you get up again next season? Yeah I see what your saying looking at where you sit then potentially you could but for now I would just enjoy what will be a great few weeks for LCFC as a proper professional league awaits you next term.