After the York performance we were asking is the squad any better than under Fenty and you have to say no.
Yes i know off field we have a glass barrier, posts out the main and better scotch eggs.
Turnover has doubled but the squad is as bad if not worse than under Fenty.

Quoted from Yoda

After the York performance we were asking is the squad any better than under Fenty and you have to say no.
Yes i know off field we have a glass barrier, posts out the main and better scotch eggs.
Turnover has doubled but the squad is as bad if not worse than under Fenty.

What a 🔔🔚 you are Yoda, I guess we’ve got to put up with you for 6 weeks now the schools have broken up.

Which Fenty squad? The one that went down in 2010 or the one that went down in 2021?

We aren’t much better to be honest. There’s certainly no entertainment going to watch Artell team

Stockwoods broke,  as hurst wasted all our budget

Wont know until abour 10 games in to the new season. But generaly the answer is no.

This Artell squad 24/25 is taking us down.

Quoted from Yoda

After the York performance we were asking is the squad any better than under Fenty and you have to say no.
Yes i know off field we have a glass barrier, posts out the main and better scotch eggs.
Turnover has doubled but the squad is as bad if not worse than under Fenty.

Hi John

Wait until the first game, there's obviously going to be some more additions to the squad. It's the same every year, players hold out for better deals, and this isn't top of everyone's bucket list.

I was Fenty’s biggest critic but we are no better than last season
We just stayed up last season.

Quoted from Yoda

After the York performance we were asking is the squad any better than under Fenty and you have to say no.
Yes i know off field we have a glass barrier, posts out the main and better scotch eggs.
Turnover has doubled but the squad is as bad if not worse than under Fenty.

Yoda you need to stop living in the past, the JF years were terrible, he gave our club a really bad image (poor wages etc) and the new owners are trying to re-build our image as well as improvements to BP.  JF was a cheap skate so yeah, at the moment things are looking much brighter.

I doubt we get much more permanents instead we will sign competition winners on loan

We have one the most expensive season tickets in the whole EFL and what do we have to show for it.

Quoted from Yoda

After the York performance we were asking is the squad any better than under Fenty and you have to say no.
Yes i know off field we have a glass barrier, posts out the main and better scotch eggs.
Turnover has doubled but the squad is as bad if not worse than under Fenty.

F@ck off will ya, you're becoming unbelievably tiresome on this forum now

Ok, against my better judgement I will bite. Trying to compare our squad three weeks before they season starts with 20 years of regression under The Leech is a tad lop sided, Especially one that has been started and endorsed by detractors of our present regime and manager. However I will add my input. Allegedly, under Fenty we had an owner who interfered with player recruitment , reneged on agreed contract terms and interfered in areas that were best left to the people employed to deal with this. We now have a more professional set up which is more aligned to the modern approach. The squad isn't complete yet and I think the manager and owners know this. What is going on behind the scenes, as regards to recruitment, we aren't privy to and why should we be? The most important thing is what the squad is when we play our first league game.

Quoted from MNH1972

We aren’t much better to be honest. There’s certainly no entertainment going to watch Artell team

I stopped going to pre season games expecting to be entertained a long time ago.
These days the game is broken up by so many substitutions on both sides that as a spectacle it becomes dross.

Quoted from Yoda

After the York performance we were asking is the squad any better than under Fenty and you have to say no.
Yes i know off field we have a glass barrier, posts out the main and better scotch eggs.
Turnover has doubled but the squad is as bad if not worse than under Fenty.

Are you really a Town fan??
Let's get the season started and see who we have when the squad is finalised.
I'm not a DA fan and think he should have gone after the Donny game but he didn't so I will be supporting him and the lads from the off.
If it goes to excrement then it will be dealt then.

Quoted from MNH1972

We aren’t much better to be honest. There’s certainly no entertainment going to watch Artell team

Was you not entertained watching us against Notts County?

Quoted from FrazerGTFC

Stockwoods broke,  as hurst wasted all our budget

One of those statements is true, you haven’t a clue about the other one.

Quoted from FrazerGTFC

Stockwoods broke,  as hurst wasted all our budget

Wish I was as broke as he is.

Quoted from Yoda

I was Fenty’s biggest critic but we are no better than last season
We just stayed up last season.

What a stupid comment considering we haven’t started the 24/25 season.

Stockwood is wealthy on paper but not in cash.
He promised a training ground three years and we are no nearer now.
He has stated he’s not spending his kids inheritance.

Quoted from Yoda

After the York performance we were asking is the squad any better than under Fenty and you have to say no.
Yes i know off field we have a glass barrier, posts out the main and better scotch eggs.
Turnover has doubled but the squad is as bad if not worse than under Fenty.

Imagine how bad the squad would be if Fenty was still in charge and HE’D had to pay the endless cash needed to get BP up to scratch. There’d be nothing left in the pot, it’d be the U18’s playing.

When I saw this thread’s title I KNEW it would be you. You’re a tool.

Quoted from Yoda

Stockwood is wealthy on paper but not in cash.
He promised a training ground three years and we are no nearer now.
He has stated he’s not spending his kids inheritance.

Nobody who’s wealthy has much of their wealth in cash.

I won't judge  the squad this coming season until i have seen them all play , I definitely won't judge them against  some of that dross served up on dishonest Johns watch no way are any of this lot taking tinnies into training , kicking off with fans or just plain not caring for the shirt . Fraudsters (not all , but we can all name or think of a good few i am talking about )  - ironic given the way his tenure ended .

But the regression in terms of players  ability and team in  the first 2 league seasons is not alarming , but quite disappointing with the momentum we had after THAT season , yes we did great in the cup but the league season first time out was masked with a relatively easy run in  and we saw first hand the slow implosion under Hurst last time out .


I don't have big expectations  in terms of this season , gradual improvement with 'the plan' consistently implemented would do me aslong as we are not bottom 2 obviously . Another season similiar to last then more questions should be asked - i think the board have enough credit in the bank for a bit of patience as does Artell aslong as there is no implosion of epic magnitude ; which is my worst fear if I'm honest . I think it will be either a massive success or abject failure ; never boring being a Town fan at least.

Quoted from Yoda

I was Fenty’s biggest critic but we are no better than last season
We just stayed up last season.

How can you say that, the Season doesn't start till 3 weeks time.  Isn't it your bed time yet?

We lost a friendly ffs.

I would like to think that Yoda is just a little kid playing games, and that when he grows up he will grow out of making ridiculous statements..........but I'm not so sure!

Quoted from forza ivano

We lost a friendly ffs.

I dread to think what Yoda's reaction was when we went down at Burton and then again in 2021.

Quoted from diehardmariner

I dread to think what Yoda's reaction was when we went down at Burton and then again in 2021.

He definitely wasn't born for the first one and was still on the bittie for the second.

Starting 11 against York contained 3 trialists, 6 new signings and only Khouri and Green from last season.
How the F#%k is anybody judging our upcoming season on that?

Absolutely baffles me, gotta get the squad confirmed and get at least  half a dozen full blooded games under their belts before we can judge.

Quoted from Bignic69

Starting 11 against York contained 3 trialists, 6 new signings and only Khouri and Green from last season.
How the F#%k is anybody judging our upcoming season on that?

Absolutely baffles me, gotta get the squad confirmed and get at least  half a dozen full blooded games under their belts before we can judge.

Thankfully another poster who sees it as it is!  UTM.

The side who beat FGR at Wembley would have won against York every time.

Quoted from IlkleyMariner

The side who beat FGR at Wembley would have won against York every time.

😆

Quoted from IlkleyMariner

The side who beat FGR at Wembley would have won against York every time.

The side who beat FGR at Wembley drew 1-1 with Grantham on 29th July 2015.

Quoted from BobbyCummingsTackle

The side who beat FGR at Wembley drew 1-1 with Grantham on 29th July 2015.

There you go again bringing facts into the argument 😎

Quoted from BobbyCummingsTackle

The side who beat FGR at Wembley drew 1-1 with Grantham on 29th July 2015.

I look forward to a similar transformation but am not holding my breath

In five transfer windows since getting back in the EFL we have probably signed 30/40 players . I would say three have been good signings

You don’t need the brains of an archbishop to realise than any Midfield with Green as the lynchpin is going to struggle in League 2. Throw injuries to Tharme, Thompson and Rose and we’re already starting to look threadbare.

Recruitment (so far) has failed to improve our attacking threat and I feel that we’ll be taken back to the performances against Donny and Walsall again but right from the off.

id suggest under fenty wed be playing scunthorpe at best this season. with half the ground closed.

Based on your logic of preseason friendlies Liverpool are going to be having a bad season and Arne Slot's job should already be on the line after they loose to Preston North End!

You cant judge anything yet! Its preseason, we played a game with 3 trialists, 6 new signings.

The players need minutes in there legs, they need to understand and do what the gaffer wants! if all the right parts of the jigsaw come together we should have attacking football and goals this season!

Quoted from IlkleyMariner

The side who beat FGR at Wembley would have won against York every time.

How long had that side been together?

How an anyone say until we've played a few games that actually matter!!

Quoted from BobbyCummingsTackle

The side who beat FGR at Wembley drew 1-1 with Grantham on 29th July 2015.

Pick another example. It was the youth team and a couple of first year pros who played that match and lost on penalties.

If we start the season with the current squad then I’d be massively concerned. Three or four good signings in the midfield and attacking areas and things will look much brighter.

Quoted from The Dogs Testicles

You don’t need the brains of an archbishop to realise than any Midfield with Green as the lynchpin is going to struggle in League 2. Throw injuries to Tharme, Thompson and Rose and we’re already starting to look threadbare.

Recruitment (so far) has failed to improve our attacking threat and I feel that we’ll be taken back to the performances against Donny and Walsall again but right from the off.

Cass and McJannett may well turn out see Tharme warming the bench, we don't know because a) it's pre-season b) no-one has seen either in competitive action and c) it's pre-season!

I cannot get my head round this needless panic over squad depth when we've got a good handful of players that we've only seen in friendlies.   There will be more players coming through the door, does anyone actually believe that's it for our transfer dealings?

Last time I checked, John Fenty wasn't the manager. And so the OP is pointless.

John Fenty supported to playing budget well in his tenure, regardless of peoples opinions. Since then, the new owners are doing a great job too.

Let's not get into a conversation regarding the significance of ownership on the playing squad or playing squad budget shall we.

Quoted from IlkleyMariner

The side who beat FGR at Wembley would have won against York every time.

The side which drew 1-1 with Macclesfield in 2006 would've won 43 times out of 100.

Quoted from DaleH

Last time I checked, John Fenty wasn't the manager. And so the OP is pointless.

John Fenty supported to playing budget well in his tenure, regardless of peoples opinions. Since then, the new owners are doing a great job too.

Let's not get into a conversation regarding the significance of ownership on the playing squad or playing squad budget shall we.

The issue is it's too relevant to just pass over  these days -
invariably the wealthier the benafactor the better the club will do eventually . We can talk about sustainability but in reality how many clubs are actually doing well within the 92 on a close to 'sustainable model 'you can probably count them on one hand .

There is a difference between JS & AP being good owners ,and wealthy enough owners (or at least willing to be as silly as the majority and throw a load at it ) to make a significant difference to our fortunes we are too early in the piece to make a judgement in truth aren't we ?  they have a medium to long term plan let's see if it bears fruit .

The Fenty comparison is bizarre in truth - different time ,completely different £££ being thrown about as to now -when we probably were higher in the food chain in terms of playing budget the issue was he had built a house made of matches .

Quoted from diehardmariner

Cass and McJannett may well turn out see Tharme warming the bench, we don't know because a) it's pre-season b) no-one has seen either in competitive action and c) it's pre-season!

I cannot get my head round this needless panic over squad depth when we've got a good handful of players that we've only seen in friendlies.   There will be more players coming through the door, does anyone actually believe that's it for our transfer dealings?

Probably because we are less than 3 weeks away, have failed to signal any attacking intent with signings and anybody that joins between now and then will either a) Need to get Match fit and up to speed or c) have missed an entire pre-season with their new team mates. Possibly to see us struggling for the first 6-8 weeks.

I’m not convinced DA has it in him to persuade many to come to town. I 100% hope he proves me wrong but my gut instinct suggests otherwise!

Quoted from The Dogs Testicles

Probably because we are less than 3 weeks away, have failed to signal any attacking intent with signings and anybody that joins between now and then will either a) Need to get Match fit and up to speed or c) have missed an entire pre-season with their new team mates. Possibly to see us struggling for the first 6-8 weeks.

I’m not convinced DA has it in him to persuade many to come to town. I 100% hope he proves me wrong but my gut instinct suggests otherwise!

Here’s the slightly odd thing for me. Back in January, when our stock as a club was unthinkably low given the calamitous prevailing circumstances, we were able to sign Tharme, Thompson and Hume from League One clubs, all with reasonable pedigrees at that level, on permanent deals. Knowing how difficult January traditionally is, you’d have imagined we would find it a little easier in the summer, the situation having stabilised somewhat.

Of our signings so far, I think it’s reasonable to suggest the likes of Wright and Cass are loosely of that same calibre. Wright doesn’t have many games under his belt, which isn’t unusual for a young-ish goalkeeper, but the Lincoln consensus seems to be that he is good enough for League Two, if not a bit better. The other five are a bit more left-field, but they don’t deserve to be written off in pre-season because of that.

I think the real question is what happens next. If we sign another five, two or three of which are Thompson-esque in their ability, supplemented by a couple of properly considered loans, I don’t think the situation is anywhere near as disastrous as some are suggesting. It’s the suggestion, by someone with a solid track record, that there are currently no further “permanent” irons in the fire which makes me a little uneasy.

Last season we had too many deficiencies to list, but the ones that spring to mind are:

1. No pace
2. Little height
3. Not good enough in the press
4. Uncomfortable playing out from the back
5. No creativity in the midfield
6. Predictable in attack
7. Over reliance on Rose

In our signings so far, I can at least see an attempt to address points 4 and 5 (albeit only McEachran ticks the latter box), but we remain unchanged thus far in regard to the others. I’m a long way from panicking, there’s still quite some way to go this window, but as of right now I think it’s fairly clear that we’ve yet to fulfil the requirements necessary to successfully play Artell-ball.

Quoted from Poojah

Here’s the slightly odd thing for me. Back in January, when our stock as a club was unthinkably low given the calamitous prevailing circumstances, we were able to sign Tharme, Thompson and Hume from League One clubs, all with reasonable pedigrees at that level, on permanent deals. Knowing how difficult January traditionally is, you’d have imagined we would find it a little easier in the summer, the situation having stabilised somewhat.

Of our signings so far, I think it’s reasonable to suggest the likes of Wright and Cass are loosely of that same calibre. Wright doesn’t have many games under his belt, which isn’t unusual for a young-ish goalkeeper, but the Lincoln consensus seems to be that he is good enough for League Two, if not a bit better. The other five are a bit more left-field, but they don’t deserve to be written off in pre-season because of that.

I think the real question is what happens next. If we sign another five, two or three of which are Thompson-esque in their ability, supplemented by a couple of properly considered loans, I don’t think the situation is anywhere near as disastrous as some are suggesting. It’s the suggestion, by someone with a solid track record, that there are currently no further “permanent” irons in the fire which makes me a little uneasy.

Last season we had too many deficiencies to list, but the ones that spring to mind are:

1. No pace
2. Little height
3. Not good enough in the press
4. Uncomfortable playing out from the back
5. No creativity in the midfield
6. Predictable in attack
7. Over reliance on Rose

In our signings so far, I can at least see an attempt to address points 4 and 5 (albeit only McEachran ticks the latter box), but we remain unchanged thus far in regard to the others. I’m a long way from panicking, there’s still quite some way to go this window, but as of right now I think it’s fairly clear that we’ve yet to fulfil the necessary requirements necessary to successfully play Artell-ball.

That's pretty much were I am too have to say I'm not one to normally panic but I've been a little surprised how we haven't improved the midfield nor the lack of height in the team so far.. felt last season we got bullied at times.

Quoted from Poojah

Here’s the slightly odd thing for me. Back in January, when our stock as a club was unthinkably low given the calamitous prevailing circumstances, we were able to sign Tharme, Thompson and Hume from League One clubs, all with reasonable pedigrees at that level, on permanent deals. Knowing how difficult January traditionally is, you’d have imagined we would find it a little easier in the summer, the situation having stabilised somewhat.

Of our signings so far, I think it’s reasonable to suggest the likes of Wright and Cass are loosely of that same calibre. Wright doesn’t have many games under his belt, which isn’t unusual for a young-ish goalkeeper, but the Lincoln consensus seems to be that he is good enough for League Two, if not a bit better. The other five are a bit more left-field, but they don’t deserve to be written off in pre-season because of that.

I think the real question is what happens next. If we sign another five, two or three of which are Thompson-esque in their ability, supplemented by a couple of properly considered loans, I don’t think the situation is anywhere near as disastrous as some are suggesting. It’s the suggestion, by someone with a solid track record, that there are currently no further “permanent” irons in the fire which makes me a little uneasy.

Last season we had too many deficiencies to list, but the ones that spring to mind are:

1. No pace
2. Little height
3. Not good enough in the press
4. Uncomfortable playing out from the back
5. No creativity in the midfield
6. Predictable in attack
7. Over reliance on Rose

In our signings so far, I can at least see an attempt to address points 4 and 5 (albeit only McEachran ticks the latter box), but we remain unchanged thus far in regard to the others. I’m a long way from panicking, there’s still quite some way to go this window, but as of right now I think it’s fairly clear that we’ve yet to fulfil the necessary requirements necessary to successfully play Artell-ball.

We are at a difficult juncture now. Artell was recruited to implement Stockwood's "Game Model" and tried to hit the ground running with it on day one, but had to abandon it to prevent relegation. But the problem we now have is that Artell will now be expected to deliver upon the "Game Model" for which he was recruited to deliver, and the terrible traits from that disastrous run of form at the turn of the year appeared to be on display against York.

The season starts in less than 3 weeks. We haven't done any defensive work or set plays, and we haven't scored lots of exciting goals against Cleethorpes Town, Grimsby Borough, Boston United, or York City, so I dare say we haven't done any attacking work yet either. That comment in his post-match interview seemed a bit odd. I commented on it Saturday and stopped short of calling it a bit Holloway, but the more I think about it, the more I think it's a bit Holloway.

I think there is a lot of pressure on Artell come the start of the season. If the disastrous form we saw until he abandoned his style after the Doncaster game returns, the fans will be furious, but if he goes pragmatic in his approach, he's walking the same tightrope that Hurst walked last season as it's not the "Game Model".

I don't get too worked up on results during pre-season, but it is worrying that those terrible characteristics from those drubbings were on display against York.

Quoted from The Dogs Testicles

Probably because we are less than 3 weeks away, have failed to signal any attacking intent with signings and anybody that joins between now and then will either a) Need to get Match fit and up to speed or c) have missed an entire pre-season with their new team mates. Possibly to see us struggling for the first 6-8 weeks.

I’m not convinced DA has it in him to persuade many to come to town. I 100% hope he proves me wrong but my gut instinct suggests otherwise!

We've signed Svanthórsson who's a very attack minded winger and McEachran who, whilst I don't think is predominantly an attacker, looks to be certainly more attack minded than someone like Clifton.  The issue wasn't simply a case that we didn't have enough attacking options last season, it was that we didn't have anyone capable of finding them with a pass.  McEachran is the type of signing to address that.  

You've also got Vernam and Ainley who missed most of last season through injury and illness.  Before anyone claims that Vernam is a crock, look at his record prior to last season and you can see that's simply not the case.   Same with Ainley, have a look at his record and it shows prior to last season available for the vast majority of games for a sustained number of seasons.

I don't think we're the finished product yet and I definitely want to see at least one more striker through the door and probably another winger and then a further midfield option.  But it's 3 weeks to go.  Not 3 hours. Loan deals might not come off until once the season has started.

To say Artell hasn't got it in him to persuade many to come to Town is harsh.  Especially considering he produced the goods in his only previous transfer window with us.  That's from a generally smaller pool of available players too.  

Quoted from jamesgtfc

We haven't done any defensive work or set plays, and we haven't scored lots of exciting goals against Cleethorpes Town, Grimsby Borough, Boston United, or York City, so I dare say we haven't done any attacking work yet either.

One bad friendly (which let's not forget is just about shaking ring rust off, the result is meaningless. Even the performance is a distant second to just getting players ready) and you've come to the conclusion that we've not worked on either defending or attacking?

Quoted from diehardmariner

One bad friendly (which let's not forget is just about shaking ring rust off, the result is meaningless. Even the performance is a distant second to just getting players ready) and you've come to the conclusion that we've not worked on either defending or attacking?

Artell literally said we’ve done no defensive work

Quoted from jamesgtfc

We are at a difficult juncture now. Artell was recruited to implement Stockwood's "Game Model" and tried to hit the ground running with it on day one, but had to abandon it to prevent relegation. But the problem we now have is that Artell will now be expected to deliver upon the "Game Model" for which he was recruited to deliver, and the terrible traits from that disastrous run of form at the turn of the year appeared to be on display against York.

The season starts in less than 3 weeks. We haven't done any defensive work or set plays, and we haven't scored lots of exciting goals against Cleethorpes Town, Grimsby Borough, Boston United, or York City, so I dare say we haven't done any attacking work yet either. That comment in his post-match interview seemed a bit odd. I commented on it Saturday stopped short of calling it a bit Holloway, but the more I think about it, the more I think it's a bit Holloway.

I think there is a lot of pressure on Artell come the start of the season. If the disastrous form we saw until he abandoned his style after the Doncaster game returns, the fans will be furious, but if he goes pragmatic in his approach, he's walking the same tightrope that Hurst walked last season as it's not the "Game Model".

I don't get too worked up on results during pre-season, but it is worrying that those terrible characteristics from those drubbings were on display against York.

Artell had the luxury of a “plan b” back in the winter - he could quite reasonably argue that he hadn’t inherited the players required to play his way. Two windows in, he won’t have that luxury again. “Plan a” has to work or it’s game over.

I think the minimum he can get away with is having us play a modestly entertaining brand of football, with decent home form, an absence of frequent drubbings, and no real threat of relegation. I’d argue that’s not a particularly high bar.

The challenge he’s got is that he’s likely to be without the likes of Tharme and Rose for the first few weeks, and potentially one or two others as well. We can’t afford to go into the season half-baked, that’s for sure.

Quoted from Hagrid

Artell literally said we’ve done no defensive work

Yes, just listened to his post match.  Apologies James.  He said we've not worked on defensive set-pieces, not no defensive work.

We kept clean sheets in the previous 3 games and having looked at the York highlights it looks more like individual errors than actual cohesion and drilling anything into them.  Green just lets his man walk past him for the first and someone (couldn't make out who) just lets his man get the jump on him.

Artell says he's not happy.  It's not the standard we'll need to play at in the league.  But this isn't a league game.  It's pre-season, which is absolutely the place to get the errors in the system out the way.  

Quoted from Hagrid

Artell literally said we’ve done no defensive work

We are in trouble then if he has been working on attack.

Quoted from DaleH

Last time I checked, John Fenty wasn't the manager. And so the OP is pointless.

John Fenty supported to playing budget well in his tenure, regardless of peoples opinions. Since then, the new owners are doing a great job too.

Let's not get into a conversation regarding the significance of ownership on the playing squad or playing squad budget shall we.

Excuse me this board does not appreciate any ounce of praise to John Fenty, even if he did always manage to secure a decent forward

Quoted from male private Nale

Excuse me this board does not appreciate any ounce of praise to John Fenty, even if he did always manage to secure a decent forward

And lose a bloody good one for the sake of a few quid a week.

And then there was the Jevons saga..and numerous others who were treat disgustingly bad.

But hey.. don’t let the facts spoil your truth eh..

Quoted from male private Nale

Excuse me this board does not appreciate any ounce of praise to John Fenty, even if he did always manage to secure a decent forward

Instantly provable nonsense by looking at the forward options we had in 09/10 then again in 20/21.

Quoted from mariner91

Instantly provable nonsense by looking at the forward options we had in 09/10 then again in 20/21.

Oh come on....

You're telling me that Matt Green, James Hanson, Ira Jackson, Montel Gibson, Touray Sisay and Virgil Gomes wern't Promotion quality

Quoted from The Dogs Testicles

Probably because we are less than 3 weeks away, have failed to signal any attacking intent with signings and anybody that joins between now and then will either a) Need to get Match fit and up to speed or c) have missed an entire pre-season with their new team mates. Possibly to see us struggling for the first 6-8 weeks.

I’m not convinced DA has it in him to persuade many to come to town. I 100% hope he proves me wrong but my gut instinct suggests otherwise!

You never have anything positive to say!

Quoted from Meza

Yoda you need to stop living in the past, the JF years were terrible, he gave our club a really bad image (poor wages etc) and the new owners are trying to re-build our image as well as improvements to BP.  JF was a cheap skate so yeah, at the moment things are looking much brighter.

Not sure how things can be looking "much brighter" when you consider where we finished last season and where we nearly ended up.

A couple of months in or likely less will give us an idea. Personally I'm worried that we won't be that much better and it will be another season of struggle as DA forces his style of football.

Who can tell where we are in truth a few quality signings may make a huge difference as we do look somewhat light.

I do wonder though are we back to the Brian Laws rough diamonds policy as considering marquee  signings from the Irish and Icelandic leagues would have left me cold in the past.They could be stand outs or equally another Seb Ring.

Quoted from Ruuger

You never have anything positive to say!

Not much positive happening.

Quoted from Hagrid

Oh come on....

You're telling me that Matt Green, James Hanson, Ira Jackson, Montel Gibson, Touray Sisay and Virgil Gomes wern't Promotion quality

Hanson doesn't belong in that group.

Quoted from marinerjase

And lose a bloody good one for the sake of a few quid a week.

And then there was the Jevons saga..and numerous others who were treat disgustingly bad.

But hey.. don’t let the facts spoil your truth eh..

Wasn't that Peter Furneaux before handing the reigns to JF?

Quoted from arryarryarry

Not sure how things can be looking "much brighter" when you consider where we finished last season and where we nearly ended up.

A couple of months in or likely less will give us an idea. Personally I'm worried that we won't be that much better and it will be another season of struggle as DA forces his style of football.

I'm not like you Array, Its a new season and last year was last year, we can only look at that as a warning to do better, yes we need some more players, but all this negativity is not doing anyone any good really.  We need to be patient, as soon as we start building up negativity its very difficult to stop, then gets compounded by a couple of bad results against teams that we may be expected to beat.  Lets see how we do against the next team, hopefully Danny Rose will be back as he has been training with and without the ball and looks in good shape.

I would like us to sign an attacking midfielder and Pacey Striker but we might not be 3rd choice with some players, like Charlie Kirk, for all we know we could be his last priority if he is unable to get a move to a higher team.

Quoted from Ruuger

You never have anything positive to say!

Quite the contrary - but I’ll give you that since DA has taken charge.

At the end of the day, it’s a Forum which is where people offer an opinion; sometimes positive, sometimes negative, but very rarely does everyone agree.

As much as I want to look through the Rose tinted spectacles, I have serious reservations that we are going to improve on last season and I also feel that the disastrous playing out from the keeper will be on display from Matchday One. If come October, I am completely wrong and we aren’t way off the top half of the table, I’ll gladly say ‘I was wrong’.

Right now though, with what business we have done so far and in my humble opinion, I think we’ll be miles off it.  That’s just my opinion, different to yours.

As it is a forum, I’d be happy to understand your perspective and why you think I am so wrong?

Quoted from The Dogs Testicles

Quite the contrary - but I’ll give you that since DA has taken charge.

At the end of the day, it’s a Forum which is where people offer an opinion; sometimes positive, sometimes negative, but very rarely does everyone agree.

As much as I want to look through the Rose tinted spectacles, I have serious reservations that we are going to improve on last season and I also feel that the disastrous playing out from the keeper will be on display from Matchday One. If come October, I am completely wrong and we aren’t way off the top half of the table, I’ll gladly say ‘I was wrong’.

Right now though, with what business we have done so far and in my humble opinion, I think we’ll be miles off it.  That’s just my opinion, different to yours.

As it is a forum, I’d be happy to understand your perspective and why you think I am so wrong?

Yeah it’s hard to be positive all the time . I’ve made an effort to be more positive towards things I ike and support. I won’t be slagging individuals off again and will support the team . It’s surprising how positive your mindset becomes when you keep things positive and don’t respond to negative

However my son asked me how I thought town would do this season , I replied with an honest opinion that we are 3/4 quality players short and unless that’s addressed quick we’ll probably be down the bottom end again . Hopefully the door starts swinging again this week . We’ve made what look like great signings so we’ll see

Quoted from The Dogs Testicles

Right now though, with what business we have done so far and in my humble opinion, I think we’ll be miles off it.  That’s just my opinion, different to yours.

As it is a forum, I’d be happy to understand your perspective and why you think I am so wrong?

This is where I’m at. I think we are miles away from being a decent L2 side. Midfield and attack is a huge concern. And the lack of pace in central defence and midfield appears hasn’t been addressed.

And I totally disagree with the performances don’t matter narrative. Presumably we are looking at some top quality loan signings. Parent clubs do their homework and are watching. Does anyone seriously think a club would want to send a young prospect to Grimsby on loan if they watched that on Saturday? Not a chance. We’d be well down the list.

I’m concerned that this season might start very badly and a decision might have to be made before the clocks go back.

Well last season the majority on here thought we had signed much better players and we were a good outside bet for the playoffs. This season a lot of doom and gloom so maybe we will reverse last season and actually finish in a decent top half position.

Like everyone else I’m slightly disappointed that we are yet to sign new more physical options up front and in midfield, however, to date we have not fielded an eleven that will reflect our starting lineup for the Fleetwood game and we will have a much better idea of where we are after the Rotherham and Mansfield games.

Until then it’s not worth getting too high or low either way and Donny showed last year that you can play crap until January and still have a bloody good season.

Quoted from Lincoln Mariner 56

Well last season the majority on here thought we had signed much better players and we were a good outside bet for the playoffs. This season a lot of doom and gloom so maybe we will reverse last season and actually finish in a decent top half position.

Like everyone else I’m slightly disappointed that we are yet to sign new more physical options up front and in midfield, however, to date we have not fielded an eleven that will reflect our starting lineup for the Fleetwood game and we will have a much better idea of where we are after the Rotherham and Mansfield games.

Until then it’s not worth getting too high or low either way and Donny showed last year that you can play crap until January and still have a bloody good season.

Regarding last season, I definitely stated we were weaker than the season before - we lost McAtee and Smith, so my logic was we had to be weaker. And we were.

This season we’ve trimmed a lot of dead wood, but so far barely signed anyone. I am concerned, but also confident the business yet to be done can still be done well. Please!

I’ve never been someone who has been hasty about sacking managers, as was the case with DA last season.

However the jungle drums of failure are resonating even before the first ball is kicked in anger….

I hope I am wrong.

Last season our defence (and to a lesser extent, goalkeeping) was weak. Major surgery was required, and appears to have taken place. If we’ve got this right, we should have a solid base to build from.

The young winger appears to be an exciting signing, but I’d agree with many others that the squad looks short of first team starters across the midfield and attack. 3-4 first team signings and we have a good chance, but I fear young loanees appearing late in the day to make up the numbers.

Whilst I want Artell to prove me wrong, I fear a repeat of last years expansive play, and the disastrous results that came from it. On balance, I can’t see anything but another season of struggle.

Wait until the new investors Pettit promised were coming on board arrive  .Watch the quality we bring in with all the new investment .

Quoted from Norseman

Wait until the new investors Pettit promised were coming on board arrive  .Watch the quality we bring in with all the new investment .

I’m not sure how ironic this comment is but whatever investment is incoming won’t be worth much if we don’t spend it soon. Given our recent history and the lack of quality and depth in the current squad, I’m resigning myself to yet another season of mediocrity.

Quoted from MuddyWaters

I’m not sure how ironic this comment is but whatever investment is incoming won’t be worth much if we don’t spend it soon. Given our recent history and the lack of quality and depth in the current squad, I’m resigning myself to yet another season of mediocrity.

Can’t remember which one said it but the owners where clear that a new investor wouldn’t necessarily mean an immediate lift in the playing budget.

There is still a bit to do for sure across the midfield & up front but it’s far too early to say what we will & won’t do as the squad isn’t complete.

That said I think we’re setting up for a mid table finish, everyone both inside the club & amongst the support want better but I guess it’s just the reality of where we are now.

Quoted from The Dogs Testicles

Quite the contrary - but I’ll give you that since DA has taken charge.

At the end of the day, it’s a Forum which is where people offer an opinion; sometimes positive, sometimes negative, but very rarely does everyone agree.

As much as I want to look through the Rose tinted spectacles, I have serious reservations that we are going to improve on last season and I also feel that the disastrous playing out from the keeper will be on display from Matchday One. If come October, I am completely wrong and we aren’t way off the top half of the table, I’ll gladly say ‘I was wrong’.

Right now though, with what business we have done so far and in my humble opinion, I think we’ll be miles off it.  That’s just my opinion, different to yours.

As it is a forum, I’d be happy to understand your perspective and why you think I am so wrong?

I think you are wrong because the season hasn't even started and you are preaching doom and gloom already!  Also, most of the other posters on here are patient and happy to wait and see what happens after we have played a few games in the actual season.  

According to on-line data (fifa24 etc.scores) this is our best 11 plus reserves:

Best 11:

Eastwood:  60.  Potentially:  63.

Warren:  62.  Pot:  65.
Tharme:  62.  Pot:  69.  (Injured)
McJanet:  63.  Pot:  65.
Hume:  62.  Pot:  65.

Thompson:  63.  Pot:  63.   (Injured)
Green:  61.  Pot:  62.
McEachran:  62.  Pot:  66.

Pyke:  59.  Pot:  61.     (Injured)
Rose:  63.  Pot:  63.     (Injured)
Vernam: 61.  Pot:  61.     (Injured)

Reserves:

Wright:  59.  Pot:  64.
Cass:  61.  Pot:  66.
Rodger:  62.  Pot:  63.        
Carson:  58.  Pot:  69.
Ainley:  60.  Pot:  62.
Kauri:  55.  Pot:  67.
Wilson:  58.  Pot.  59.
Gardner  53.  Pot:  71.
Dadi:  55.  Pot:  65.

Some of the younger players with low scores have room for improvement: Gardner, Dadi, wright etc.

The first 11 does not look too bad but up front and in mid-field there is not much back up for those injured and young ineperienced players. We desperately need more experienced back up players.

Yeah but there is data and there is 'data'. That listing is definitely 'data'.

Quoted from Ruuger

I think you are wrong because the season hasn't even started and you are preaching doom and gloom already!  Also, most of the other posters on here are patient and happy to wait and see what happens after we have played a few games in the actual season.  

Not preaching - that would suggest I’m influencing others opinion, which is not the purpose of my post. I’m simply offering up my concerns and observations (from my very limited knowledge of supporting this club for the last 45 years).

Unfortunately your suggestion of me waiting until the season starts doesn’t change my mindset and offers no reasoning to inform my own opinion.

If you believe that what we currently have will be any stronger than the last few seasons, that’s absolutely fine and your prerogative. I can only see that the current incumbents, unless significantly reinforced, will struggle based on last seasons performances and their inconsistency due to regular injuries.

Quoted from Ruuger

I think you are wrong because the season hasn't even started and you are preaching doom and gloom already!  Also, most of the other posters on here are patient and happy to wait and see what happens after we have played a few games in the actual season.  

It’s your opinion that you are perfectly entitled to. However, the lack of numbers and quality for the front six positions has to be concerning given our recent history.

I remind you also that DA is tasked with creating a playing style to play ‘the Grimsby way’.

Quoted from Ruuger

I think you are wrong because the season hasn't even started and you are preaching doom and gloom already!  Also, most of the other posters on here are patient and happy to wait and see what happens after we have played a few games in the actual season.  

You cannot invoke the thoughts of the majority of posters,I certainly not happy with our recruitment.Whilst I do not always agree with Yoda, he has a right to his opinion without being subject to personal abuse.

It feels to me like everybody is exhausting themselves with all of the speculation and this has got a bit past a bit of fun

The bottom line is see where we sit after 10 games. Everything else is just wasted energy.
Enjoy the summer before the real stress starts! We all know it is likely to be a rollercoaster, I find it easier not to speculate.
Utm

Quoted from aussiej

According to on-line data (fifa24 etc.scores) this is our best 11 plus reserves:

Best 11:

Eastwood:  60.  Potentially:  63.

Warren:  62.  Pot:  65.
Tharme:  62.  Pot:  69.  (Injured)
McJanet:  63.  Pot:  65.
Hume:  62.  Pot:  65.

Thompson:  63.  Pot:  63.   (Injured)
Green:  61.  Pot:  62.
McEachran:  62.  Pot:  66.

Pyke:  59.  Pot:  61.     (Injured)
Rose:  63.  Pot:  63.     (Injured)
Vernam: 61.  Pot:  61.     (Injured)

Reserves:

Wright:  59.  Pot:  64.
Cass:  61.  Pot:  66.
Rodger:  62.  Pot:  63.        
Carson:  58.  Pot:  69.
Ainley:  60.  Pot:  62.
Kauri:  55.  Pot:  67.
Wilson:  58.  Pot.  59.
Gardner  53.  Pot:  71.
Dadi:  55.  Pot:  65.

Some of the younger players with low scores have room for improvement: Gardner, Dadi, wright etc.

The first 11 does not look too bad but up front and in mid-field there is not much back up for those injured and young ineperienced players. We desperately need more experienced back up players.

If Green is only one sixty third worse then Thomson I am signing up to do evening classes in statistics

Looks like Vernham is on the fringe of returning, but anyone got info about when other four injured will be back playing?

Quoted from IlkleyMariner

Looks like Vernham is on the fringe of returning, but anyone got info about when other four injured will be back playing?

Wonder how long we can keep him fit for is the question

To answer the thread question at the moment with 21/2 weeks to go to kick off the squad is worse than under Fenty. Unless we get immediate additions to the squad we will be in the shite again. It's allright saying Town forever and have faith as we do but the squad at the moment is woeful.

Cannot be going into the season with Green and Khouri as your midfield options ( which with the way Thompson was moving on Saturday) is looking like its going to be

Quoted from aussiej

According to on-line data (fifa24 etc.scores) this is our best 11 plus reserves:

Best 11:

Eastwood:  60.  Potentially:  63.

Warren:  62.  Pot:  65.
Tharme:  62.  Pot:  69.  (Injured)
McJanet:  63.  Pot:  65.
Hume:  62.  Pot:  65.

Thompson:  63.  Pot:  63.   (Injured)
Green:  61.  Pot:  62.
McEachran:  62.  Pot:  66.

Pyke:  59.  Pot:  61.     (Injured)
Rose:  63.  Pot:  63.     (Injured)
Vernam: 61.  Pot:  61.     (Injured)

Reserves:

Wright:  59.  Pot:  64.
Cass:  61.  Pot:  66.
Rodger:  62.  Pot:  63.        
Carson:  58.  Pot:  69.
Ainley:  60.  Pot:  62.
Kauri:  55.  Pot:  67.
Wilson:  58.  Pot.  59.
Gardner  53.  Pot:  71.
Dadi:  55.  Pot:  65.

Some of the younger players with low scores have room for improvement: Gardner, Dadi, wright etc.

The first 11 does not look too bad but up front and in mid-field there is not much back up for those injured and young ineperienced players. We desperately need more experienced back up players.

As a pessimist, the first thing I would like to know is how that compares to other likely bottom feeders, like bromley, newport and morecambe!

If the owners want Gtfc to play the "Grimsby way" as they remember from the Alan Buckley years. That came out of a team playing in the now championship and costing a lot of money.
We are now in the fourth division and doing things on the cheap. It you want the "Grimsby way" investment in the team is needed. It  will only come from investment in better quality players!

Quoted from aussiej

If the owners want Gtfc to play the "Grimsby way" as they remember from the Alan Buckley years. That came out of a team playing in the now championship and costing a lot of money.
We are now in the fourth division and doing things on the cheap. It you want the "Grimsby way" investment in the team is needed. It  will only come from investment in better quality players!

It’s my biggest fear. Trying to play a style of football is one thing, recruiting players that can do it and within the budget, is another.

Dont like this playing out from the back lark. 4th div players just cant do it.

Quoted from denni266

Dont like this playing out from the back lark. 4th div players just cant do it.

4th division players can do it but they need the other basics of being competitive as well such as being mobile, having some pace and some height for times when you may need to mix it up a bit more. Whether we can afford the players that can do it in the 4th division is another matter though.

Quoted from MuddyWaters

It’s my biggest fear. Trying to play a style of football is one thing, recruiting players that can do it and within the budget, is another.

I think DA will be more pragmatic, he burnt goodwill last  season and I think will be smarter this time or he could be out very rapidly. I expect more possession but not that stupidity again utm

Quoted from marinerjase

And lose a bloody good one for the sake of a few quid a week.

And then there was the Jevons saga..and numerous others who were treat disgustingly bad.

But hey.. don’t let the facts spoil your truth eh..

Wasn't Furneaux in charge at the time of Jevons?

Michael Jolley famously tried a similar approach at the start of the 2017/18 season, but had to abandon that plan pretty quickly as it became apparent that we either didn’t have the budget, or he’d failed to sign the players, to execute it.

It gets lost in the haze of what became a very weird period for the club and for the world more broadly, but he actually had a lot more success doing the exact opposite. Playing archetypal basement division football - get it in the channels, pick up corners and free-kicks, then get it in the mixer and onto the head of big James Hanson. It was a kind of poor man’s Sladeball, without the raw pace of Michael Reddy or the guile of Gary Jones.

Pretty it wasn’t, but it was at least relatively effective for the most part and had us in the play-offs come October, fresh off the back of a 3-1 win away at top of the league Exeter. Owing to a combination of a string of unfortunate postponements and Jolley pushing his own self-destruct button he only got another four games in charge, so we never really got to see how it would pan out, but I always thought it was a mildly interesting exercise in low-budget footballing pragmatism.

Still, Crawley proved last season, against the odds, that you can be successful playing attractive football with the right manager and approach to recruitment. In fact, they proved themselves to be miles better at it, when it mattered most, than the league’s flagship tiki taka outfit in BFS.

There’s clear evidence that it can be done. What I’m not seeing yet is evidence that we have the players to do it ourselves. Not worth getting too het up about that just yet, there are surely midfield and attacking signings to come, in some shape or form. Am I ever so slightly more nervous than I was a week ago, however? Yes.

Quoted from Mappers

The issue is it's too relevant to just pass over  these days -
invariably the wealthier the benafactor the better the club will do eventually . We can talk about sustainability but in reality how many clubs are actually doing well within the 92 on a close to 'sustainable model 'you can probably count them on one hand .

There is a difference between JS & AP being good owners ,and wealthy enough owners (or at least willing to be as silly as the majority and throw a load at it ) to make a significant difference to our fortunes we are too early in the piece to make a judgement in truth aren't we ?  they have a medium to long term plan let's see if it bears fruit .

The Fenty comparison is bizarre in truth - different time ,completely different £££ being thrown about as to now -when we probably were higher in the food chain in terms of playing budget the issue was he had built a house made of matches .

In my eyes, it doesn't actually matter if not many clubs are doing well on a close to sustainable matter. Sustainability is still the only option for me. The alternative is that you continuously run the risk of becoming an extinct football club like ones we have already seen. Or you are a club that is wholly dependent on sugar daddy ownership with owners with incredibly deep pockets that are willing to keep dipping into them. Call it a vanity project or rich mans game or whatever you wish. We don't have owners that are going to dip into mega rich pockets on the scale of the Wrexham's of the world, and frankly I am not even sure I would want that either.

Sorry if my opinion disappoints, but it's caring ownership and sustainable financial management for me all the way for me, even if this means we remain solidly as a lower league club.

I’m more nervous about the coming season than last year with this squad. No where near good enough and looking nailed on for another relegation dogfight. It’s just not good enough given how the fans have backed the club over the last 4 years .

I think we all agree that we need several more signings before the season starts. I expect there to be more incomings soon and will reserve judgement until a) they arrive, and b) we see them playing in competitive matches.

We are barely sustainable now, struggling at the bottom of the fourth division. What is going to happen to that sustainability when the attendances drop back to the 3 or 4000 levels again.
Where will we be then? Fighting with Scunthorpe for a place in the conference north!
We need to invest and we need investers. We also need to stop being afraid. Most successful clubs have serious investment.

Quoted from louth_in_the_south

I’m more nervous about the coming season than last year with this squad. No where near good enough and looking nailed on for another relegation dogfight. It’s just not good enough given how the fans have backed the club over the last 4 years .

Can't help feeling we are being taken for mugs.

Quoted from aussiej

We are barely sustainable now, struggling at the bottom of the fourth division. What is going to happen to that sustainability when the attendances drop back to the 3 or 4000 levels again.
Where will be then? Fighting with Scunthorpe for a place in the conference north!
We need to invest and we need investers. We also need to stop being afraid. Most successful clubs have serious investment.

Mate, a couple of things, we are not struggling at the bottom of the 4th Division as the League doesn't kick off until August 10th.  Forget last season, it's over.

As for investors, you cannot force people to invest in the club, and at the moment we are probably not a very attractive proposition for most investors out there.

you old boys should think yourself lucky! hurst was right you were spoilt.

I've been following the club 22 years this season, I've seen 2 flipping promotions ( both from non league) and the rest of the time we have been unequivocally excrement.

If i was an investor would I want to put my hard earned into a bottom end League 2 club, would i intercourse as like

Quoted from aussiej

According to on-line data (fifa24 etc.scores) this is our best 11 plus reserves:

Best 11:

Eastwood:  60.  Potentially:  63.

Warren:  62.  Pot:  65.
Tharme:  62.  Pot:  69.  (Injured)
McJanet:  63.  Pot:  65.
Hume:  62.  Pot:  65.

Thompson:  63.  Pot:  63.   (Injured)
Green:  61.  Pot:  62.
McEachran:  62.  Pot:  66.

Pyke:  59.  Pot:  61.     (Injured)
Rose:  63.  Pot:  63.     (Injured)
Vernam: 61.  Pot:  61.     (Injured)

Reserves:

Wright:  59.  Pot:  64.
Cass:  61.  Pot:  66.
Rodger:  62.  Pot:  63.        
Carson:  58.  Pot:  69.
Ainley:  60.  Pot:  62.
Kauri:  55.  Pot:  67.
Wilson:  58.  Pot.  59.
Gardner  53.  Pot:  71.
Dadi:  55.  Pot:  65.

Some of the younger players with low scores have room for improvement: Gardner, Dadi, wright etc.

The first 11 does not look too bad but up front and in mid-field there is not much back up for those injured and young ineperienced players. We desperately need more experienced back up players.

Are you quoting stats from FIFA 24, the football game?

Quoted from Hagrid

you old boys should think yourself lucky! hurst was right you were spoilt.

I've been following the club 22 years this season, I've seen 2 flipping promotions ( both from non league) and the rest of the time we have been unequivocally excrement.

If i was an investor would I want to put my hard earned into a bottom end League 2 club, would i intercourse as like

We were spoiled. Absolutely. Does that mean we shouldn’t be spoiled again? Perhaps do something like the mighty Crawley or even what our neighbours are doing now or 10 years ago in the case of Scunny?

If sustainability and bodging up a knackered stadium is the limit of the club’s ambition, then attendances will quickly dwindle. I’m not saying the owners want that and I’m sure there’s signings to come but the current squad as it stands scares me.

Quoted from MuddyWaters

We were spoiled. Absolutely. Does that mean we shouldn’t be spoiled again? Perhaps do something like the mighty Crawley or even what our neighbours are doing now or 10 years ago in the case of Scunny?

If sustainability and bodging up a knackered stadium is the limit of the club’s ambition, then attendances will quickly dwindle. I’m not saying the owners want that and I’m sure there’s signings to come but the current squad as it stands scares me.

No not at all, I didn't mean it in that way, Just saying what a complete shambles we've been for pretty much 20 years, its about time we deliver on the pitch, for the ones who deserve it most off the pitch

Quoted from Hagrid

Cannot be going into the season with Green and Khouri as your midfield options ( which with the way Thompson was moving on Saturday) is looking like its going to be

I think you forgot about McGeachan. (Sp)

Fifa are the governing body of football and they give out annual player scores (data). Fifa 24 is this years data.

Quoted from friskneymariner

You cannot invoke the thoughts of the majority of posters,I certainly not happy with our recruitment.Whilst I do not always agree with Yoda, he has a right to his opinion without being subject to personal abuse.

Excuse me but I have not personally abused Yoda.  You are mixing me up with the poster who called him a tool, and another who told him to F@ck Off!

The fact is that Grimsby is a club worth investing in. We maybe be struggling at the moment but are still getting an average attendance of 7000. That is remarkable. Just think if we were successful how we could build on that good will.

Quoted from MuddyWaters

We were spoiled. Absolutely. Does that mean we shouldn’t be spoiled again? Perhaps do something like the mighty Crawley or even what our neighbours are doing now or 10 years ago in the case of Scunny?

If sustainability and bodging up a knackered stadium is the limit of the club’s ambition, then attendances will quickly dwindle. I’m not saying the owners want that and I’m sure there’s signings to come but the current squad as it stands scares me.

This isn't aimed at you but people need to realise that if we want to be spoiled then it comes at a price, similarly having a new swanky stadium comes at an even higher price. unless of course someone else picks up the bill.

Though to a degree I subscribe to the "build it and they will come" philosophy on and off the field it shouldn't be at any cost or put the club at risk and despite some people's believe there will always be a glass ceiling without a benefactor blindly throwing money at it a strategy, that can be massively counter productive if they lose interest.      

Quoted from aussiej

The fact is that Grimsby is a club worth investing in. We maybe be struggling at the moment but are still getting an average attendance of 7000. That is remarkable. Just think if we were successful how we could build on that good will.

The bit in bold, as much as it hurts to say it I'm not clear why getting involved in Town would be an investment you'd likely get an equitable return on.

The investors are coming as far as I’m reliably told. Exciting news potentially bigger news than I was expecting. But if I was in charge of the club I’d be pumping extra ££ in for this window so we’re going in the right direction for when they come in .

Quoted from Ruuger

I think you forgot about McGeachan. (Sp)

No i didn't, we will play with 3 in the middle, so Green and Khouri will both be there

Quoted from HertsGTFC

This isn't aimed at you but people need to realise that if we want to be spoiled then it comes at a price, similarly having a new swanky stadium comes at an even higher price. unless of course someone else picks up the bill.

Though to a degree I subscribe to the "build it and they will come" philosophy on and off the field it shouldn't be at any cost or put the club at risk and despite some people's believe there will always be a glass ceiling without a benefactor blindly throwing money at it a strategy, that can be massively counter productive if they lose interest.      

Might be an unpopular opinion, but Fenty, for all the his many flaws, did understand that the way to a more financially stable club was to increase revenue streams via a new stadium.

Equally, I understand the costs and that we may well have missed the boat. But the idea that a new owner is picking up unforeseen costs that Fenty left behind baffles me. They (1878) must have known the situation. In addition, they were blessed with two seasons where the outcome couldn’t have been better. My opinion, for what it’s worth, is that they haven’t kicked on from there and seem reluctant to do so.

If we have new investments, then great but let’s kick on not kick our heels.

Quoted from MuddyWaters

Might be an unpopular opinion, but Fenty, for all the his many flaws, did understand that the way to a more financially stable club was to increase revenue streams via a new stadium.

Equally, I understand the costs and that we may well have missed the boat. But the idea that a new owner is picking up unforeseen costs that Fenty left behind baffles me. They (1878) must have known the situation. In addition, they were blessed with two seasons where the outcome couldn’t have been better. My opinion, for what it’s worth, is that they haven’t kicked on from there and seem reluctant to do so.

If we have new investments, then great but let’s kick on not kick our heels.

The issue is as recently as the last few interviews (DN35)  they have doubled down on how 'suprised ' they were at the amount of work required at BP so that suggests either due dilegence was poor , they had the wool pulled over their eyes somewhat or that these problems didn't actually exist until further down the line after  the takeover .

It's up to people to make their own mind up on that 1 .

Quoted from aussiej

Fifa are the governing body of football and they give out annual player scores (data). Fifa 24 is this years data.

What on earth are you on about? FIFA 24 does not exist (the video game has been called EA Sports FC since last year) because the publishing company were no longer willing to pay Fifa to licence their name. Even before that deal expired the player ratings were made up by a load of nerds sat around in an office at EA in Vancouver - they're not 'scores' awarded by Fifa themselves ffs.

"Gianni, what would you give Doug Tharme out of 100?"

Quoted from Chrisblor

What on earth are you on about? FIFA 24 does not exist (the video game has been called EA Sports FC since last year) because the publishing company were no longer willing to pay Fifa to licence their name. Even before that deal expired the player ratings were made up by a load of nerds sat around in an office at EA in Vancouver - they're not 'scores' awarded by Fifa themselves ffs.

And wrestling is fake too 😂😂

Quoted from HertsGTFC

The bit in bold, as much as it hurts to say it I'm not clear why getting involved in Town would be an investment you'd likely get an equitable return on.

Ok - Grimsby is maybe a dump - but so is Wrexham with very little to offer to potential investors.?
There are many ex defunct/derelict commercial ports  around our shores that have successfully realised that there is an equitable return on investment.

Quoted from Poojah

Michael Jolley famously tried a similar approach at the start of the 2017/18 season, but had to abandon that plan pretty quickly as it became apparent that we either didn’t have the budget, or he’d failed to sign the players, to execute it.

It gets lost in the haze of what became a very weird period for the club and for the world more broadly, but he actually had a lot more success doing the exact opposite. Playing archetypal basement division football - get it in the channels, pick up corners and free-kicks, then get it in the mixer and onto the head of big James Hanson. It was a kind of poor man’s Sladeball, without the raw pace of Michael Reddy or the guile of Gary Jones.

Pretty it wasn’t, but it was at least relatively effective for the most part and had us in the play-offs come October, fresh off the back of a 3-1 win away at top of the league Exeter. Owing to a combination of a string of unfortunate postponements and Jolley pushing his own self-destruct button he only got another four games in charge, so we never really got to see how it would pan out, but I always thought it was a mildly interesting exercise in low-budget footballing pragmatism.

Still, Crawley proved last season, against the odds, that you can be successful playing attractive football with the right manager and approach to recruitment. In fact, they proved themselves to be miles better at it, when it mattered most, than the league’s flagship tiki taka outfit in BFS.

There’s clear evidence that it can be done. What I’m not seeing yet is evidence that we have the players to do it ourselves. Not worth getting too het up about that just yet, there are surely midfield and attacking signings to come, in some shape or form. Am I ever so slightly more nervous than I was a week ago, however? Yes.

Even England gave up on playing from the back during Euros, quite appreciably V Spain, it's not for the faint-hearted, probably needs some arrogance certainly high skills, even Prem teams get it wrong. And there's the rub, last season Grimsby couldn't string simple passes, and the GK sometimes did a mental walkabout, and yet DA made/asked them to play like that with disastrous results. They need a pragmatic approach.
Last season

Quoted from Mappers

The issue is as recently as the last few interviews (DN35)  they have doubled down on how 'suprised ' they were at the amount of work required at BP so that suggests either due dilegence was poor , they had the wool pulled over their eyes somewhat or that these problems didn't actually exist until further down the line after  the takeover .

It's up to people to make their own mind up on that 1 .

Or it could just be that running an internet dating business and a commercial property investment business provides no more transferable skills to running a football club then running a fish processing factory.

But you don’t know anything. Not really. Why are you making so much noise?

Quoted from chaos33

But you don’t know anything. Not really. Why are you making so much noise?

Because we are in danger of being not very good again !

Quoted from Heswall Mariner

Ok - Grimsby is maybe a dump - but so is Wrexham with very little to offer to potential investors.?
There are many ex defunct/derelict commercial ports  around our shores that have successfully realised that there is an equitable return on investment.

Sorry my post didn’t read well I meant “Town” as in GTFC not the location which I would agree has investment potential for the right project, sadly that doesn’t look like a football ground move at the moment.

Quoted from HerveJosse

Or it could just be that running an internet dating business and a commercial property investment business provides no more transferable skills to running a football club then running a fish processing factory.

There's a difference between effectively being in year 3 or 4 of a learning process and making the same mistakes nigh on 20 years later .

That's why  Yoda's strangely bizarre comparison is a difficult one to fathom out as we are not operating in  a Lost like timeline just yet (anyone who's under about 35 won't get that analogy but it was a cracking show ) .

Quoted from Mappers

There's a difference between effectively being in year 3 or 4 of a learning process and making the same mistakes nigh on 20 years later .

That's why  Yoda's strangely bizarre comparison is a difficult one to fathom out as we are not operating in  a Lost like timeline just yet (anyone who's under about 35 won't get that analogy but it was a cracking show ) .

Three or four years in football is a lifetime .

You know what Yoda you're right. Lets bin off these two muppets and get Fenty back and then we can have one of those great teams that we had while he was in charge. Whats the point of writing excrement in the Guardian and talking about sustainability and community when you've got Green as the centre of your midfield?. When did caring ever get you three points on a wet Tuesday night in Walsall? Nah I'd rather have John and his con man mate back and he could get Holloway back to manage.

Are you real? Why does it f**king matter? Boohoo our pre-season squad looks poorer under the new owners than it ever did under the charlatan. Get real.

Quoted from HerveJosse

Because we are in danger of being not very good again !

Based on what?

Quoted from HerveJosse

Because we are in danger of being not very good again !

Right now, at this moment in time, I think that’s nailed on!

Tharme, Rose, Thompson, Svanthorsson injured and with no more additions - I fear we’re going to be backs to the walls and struggling. For the first time in years, I’m really concerned about that opening fixture!!!

I honestly think we are very very skint and already looking at a very long season ahead. For those that think we’re going to be pushing for playoffs, I would suggest we need to manage our own expectations.

I think if I’d have known what I do now, I wouldn’t have bothered with a ST and I’d have looked to attend casually.

Tell me nobody else has huge concerns…….

Quoted from The Dogs Testicles

Right now, at this moment in time, I think that’s nailed on!

Tharme, Rose, Thompson, Svanthorsson injured and with no more additions - I fear we’re going to be backs to the walls and struggling. For the first time in years, I’m really concerned about that opening fixture!!!

I honestly think we are very very skint and already looking at a very long season ahead. For those that think we’re going to be pushing for playoffs, I would suggest we need to manage our own expectations.

I think if I’d have known what I do now, I wouldn’t have bothered with a ST and I’d have looked to attend casually.

Tell me nobody else has huge concerns…….

So skint that we are paying fee's for players we want... get a grip mate. Jason isn't injured, he's being managed because he's halfway through his season and was getting kicked left and right against York with no help from the officials. Rose is back training and will play some part at Fleetwood and i'd imagine Tharme isn't too far away either. Central midfield is a concern I agree but given we had rumours for 3 central midfielders in the shape of Petit, Breckin and David Turi come to light i'd imagine DA already knows that. I imagine we are still working hard behind the scenes.

Quoted from LocalLadGTFC

So skint that we are paying fee's for players we want... get a grip mate. Jason isn't injured, he's being managed because he's halfway through his season and was getting kicked left and right against York with no help from the officials. Rose is back training and will play some part at Fleetwood and i'd imagine Tharme isn't too far away either. Central midfield is a concern I agree but given we had rumours for 3 central midfielders in the shape of Petit, Breckin and David Turi come to light i'd imagine DA already knows that. I imagine we are still working hard behind the scenes.

Like you say - Rumours.

Pettit extended at Maidenhead, nothing heard from the others. It will be just loans I’m sure…….

Even DA wouldn’t want to wait this late so see his squad pulled together.

So many think we are in such a great place but I’m not viewing this from the same lens……

I never stated things where better under Fenty.
Off field it’s miles better but i believe our squad is very poor and will be in a relegation battle again.
I would take one place above relegation now.

Quoted from Ruuger

Based on what?

Eyesight

Quoted from HerveJosse

Eyesight

Nobody saw that response coming 👀

Quoted from HertsGTFC

Nobody saw that response coming 👀

Would have required foresight 🤩

Quoted from The Dogs Testicles

Like you say - Rumours.

Pettit extended at Maidenhead, nothing heard from the others. It will be just loans I’m sure…….

Even DA wouldn’t want to wait this late so see his squad pulled together.

So many think we are in such a great place but I’m not viewing this from the same lens……

So what is the problem with loans?  I keep seeing posts maligning loan players, when over the years we have had quite a few really good loans.  A loanee is still a person who can play football to the satisfaction of our recruiting team and the manager.

[quote=141133]


Like you say - Rumours.

Pettit extended at Maidenhead, nothing heard from the others. It will be just loans I’m sure…….

Even DA wouldn’t want to wait this late so see his squad pulled together.

So many think we are in such a great place but I’m not viewing this from the same lens……

/quote

Just listened to Peterborough’s Chairman on Talksport and he explained reasons why a number of clubs lower down the pyramid still hadn’t been involved in much transfer activity and also covered how fans over react to pre-season results (the Posh lost 4-0 at Boston last night).

In relation to transfers he explained that because of the Euros and Copa America many Premiership clubs are using squad and under21 players in their pre-season friendlies and on overseas tours. He said Peterborough are taking two Man City players on loan but said they wouldn’t be joining them for two or three weeks yet. All this has a knock on effect as clubs lower down hang on to players they may be willing to let go once replacements arrive.

I’m sure all town fans would have liked to see two or three more players already signed up but we had players in quite early last year and how did that work out? At the end of the transfer window we can judge how successful we think we’ve been but as many others have said we won’t really know until mid October.

Quoted from Lincoln Mariner 56

[quote=141133]


Like you say - Rumours.

Pettit extended at Maidenhead, nothing heard from the others. It will be just loans I’m sure…….

Even DA wouldn’t want to wait this late so see his squad pulled together.

So many think we are in such a great place but I’m not viewing this from the same lens……

/quote

Just listened to Peterborough’s Chairman on Talksport and he explained reasons why a number of clubs lower down the pyramid still hadn’t been involved in much transfer activity and also covered how fans over react to pre-season results (the Posh lost 4-0 at Boston last night).

In relation to transfers he explained that because of the Euros and Copa America many Premiership clubs are using squad and under21 players in their pre-season friendlies and on overseas tours. He said Peterborough are taking two Man City players on loan but said they wouldn’t be joining them for two or three weeks yet. All this has a knock on effect as clubs lower down hang on to players they may be willing to let go once replacements arrive.

I’m sure all town fans would have liked to see two or three more players already signed up but we had players in quite early last year and how did that work out? At the end of the transfer window we can judge how successful we think we’ve been but as many others have said we won’t really know until mid October.

That's ver interesting, and rather backs up what I said about squad sizes. Also backed up by the BBC transfers page, which I've thought for the last month or so has seemed very sluggish.
Would interesting for someone, who's got time, to see how many L2 deals were going through last July compared to this month

Quoted from forza ivano

That's ver interesting, and rather backs up what I said about squad sizes. Also backed up by the BBC transfers page, which I've thought for the last month or so has seemed very sluggish.
Would interesting for someone, who's got time, to see how many L2 deals were going through last July compared to this month

80 give or take with loans for the month 2023

Quoted from Lincoln Mariner 56

[quote=141133]


Like you say - Rumours.

Pettit extended at Maidenhead, nothing heard from the others. It will be just loans I’m sure…….

Even DA wouldn’t want to wait this late so see his squad pulled together.

So many think we are in such a great place but I’m not viewing this from the same lens……

/quote

Just listened to Peterborough’s Chairman on Talksport and he explained reasons why a number of clubs lower down the pyramid still hadn’t been involved in much transfer activity and also covered how fans over react to pre-season results (the Posh lost 4-0 at Boston last night).

In relation to transfers he explained that because of the Euros and Copa America many Premiership clubs are using squad and under21 players in their pre-season friendlies and on overseas tours. He said Peterborough are taking two Man City players on loan but said they wouldn’t be joining them for two or three weeks yet. All this has a knock on effect as clubs lower down hang on to players they may be willing to let go once replacements arrive.

I’m sure all town fans would have liked to see two or three more players already signed up but we had players in quite early last year and how did that work out? At the end of the transfer window we can judge how successful we think we’ve been but as many others have said we won’t really know until mid October.

Saw they drew 4-4.

It was 4-6 in the end.

https://www.bostonunited.co.uk/teams/24809/match-centre/0-5942089/report

Quoted from Watch and Shoot

80 give or take with loans for the month 2023

how dos that compare to this month?

ps nice, factual first contribution. Keep up the good work! ;D

Yo da idiot

Quoted from Meza

It was 4-6 in the end.

https://www.bostonunited.co.uk/teams/24809/match-centre/0-5942089/report

Must be going deaf, assuming he must have said they conceded four but omitted to say they’d scored six!

Quoted from The Dogs Testicles

Right now, at this moment in time, I think that’s nailed on!

Tharme, Rose, Thompson, Svanthorsson injured and with no more additions - I fear we’re going to be backs to the walls and struggling. For the first time in years, I’m really concerned about that opening fixture!!!

I honestly think we are very very skint and already looking at a very long season ahead. For those that think we’re going to be pushing for playoffs, I would suggest we need to manage our own expectations.

I think if I’d have known what I do now, I wouldn’t have bothered with a ST and I’d have looked to attend casually.

Tell me nobody else has huge concerns…….

I don’t have huge concerns.

I have huge concerns about the squad and DA comments on his match report about not training  on defence yet.
What have they been training on having shots on target oh wait we never had any.

Sorry if this is off topic and Mods please delete if it's against the rules, but I'm having a sale at my Etsy shop.- It'sallgoingtobeshit.com
All fishy users get an extra 10% off using the code WE'RE DOOMED (all caps)
All flagpoles come with a free white flag!
Thanks to those of you that have already taken advantage of this offer
Also I'm doing a three for the price of two on black armband and wreath combo while stocks last.
Sale must end soon etc

Quoted from The Dogs Testicles

Right now, at this moment in time, I think that’s nailed on!

Tharme, Rose, Thompson, Svanthorsson injured and with no more additions - I fear we’re going to be backs to the walls and struggling. For the first time in years, I’m really concerned about that opening fixture!!!

I honestly think we are very very skint and already looking at a very long season ahead. For those that think we’re going to be pushing for playoffs, I would suggest we need to manage our own expectations.

I think if I’d have known what I do now, I wouldn’t have bothered with a ST and I’d have looked to attend casually.

Tell me nobody else has huge concerns…….

See if you can get a refund before the season starts

I love Grimsby Town. Have done since I was a kid and will do til I die. It isn't always pretty, we're not always on the same page and there's friction but the love is enduring.

My huge concerns are the health of my wife and kids. What the future holds for them and that they'll find happiness and success throughout their lives.

Whether DA has assembled his full squad 3 weeks before the season does not register as a 'huge concern'. The fact we lost to York does not constitute a 'huge concern' to me. I've read more drama on this forum in the last week than Shakespeares entire works.

I'll say exactly the same as I have before, I'd love for our squad to be put together by pre-season so the players are together and the time to gel is as long as it could possibly be. I'd love to have played four pre-season friendlies whereby our new striker has scored 13 goals and the opposition have barely touched the ball. Would anyone not want that?

As for not training on defence yet, please tell me you're not that naive? I know you're promoting a doom and gloom vision and that's both your freedom and prerogative but let's at least talk sensibly. Are you suggesting that at the 4 week point of a 42 week season that not doing a session in defending is cause for concern? You're talking of lack of goals and the need for midfielders but at the same time complaining that we're not doing defending in training? Surely you'd be encouraging as much work on attacking intent with what we have if you're suggesting the players we have are not considered competent as they are.

The common denominator on this forum is that everyone cares about the fortunes of GTFC. But however we start the season and however we end the season the course we take and the journey we go on will be what it is. DA is not reading this forum every day and saying "Yoda thinks we need to do defending so we best jump to it". Granted we all want to see us do well but we have no influence on that so why are people getting so irate weeks before the season has even begun?

Trust DA or don't trust DA, he'll be here on day one and he'll be here by the end of the transfer window and he'll have a squad assembled. It won't be where he wants it to be, nor will it ever be, that's the point of continuous improvement.  Not that my advice carries any weight at all, let alone more than any other poster on this forum but for all those getting their knickers in a twist already just chill out. We all care and we all want the best but our success or failure is well outside our control so don't fret it. Just get behind the club as a whole and trust that everyone employed by the club is doing everything they can to make it successful, and it's more than likely it'll take patience and time to get there.

Quoted from gtfc_chris

I love Grimsby Town. Have done since I was a kid and will do til I die. It isn't always pretty, we're not always on the same page and there's friction but the love is enduring.

My huge concerns are the health of my wife and kids. What the future holds for them and that they'll find happiness and success throughout their lives.

Whether DA has assembled his full squad 3 weeks before the season does not register as a 'huge concern'. The fact we lost to York does not constitute a 'huge concern' to me. I've read more drama on this forum in the last week than Shakespeares entire works.

I'll say exactly the same as I have before, I'd love for our squad to be put together by pre-season so the players are together and the time to gel is as long as it could possibly be. I'd love to have played four pre-season friendlies whereby our new striker has scored 13 goals and the opposition have barely touched the ball. Would anyone not want that?

As for not training on defence yet, please tell me you're not that naive? I know you're promoting a doom and gloom vision and that's both your freedom and prerogative but let's at least talk sensibly. Are you suggesting that at the 4 week point of a 42 week season that not doing a session in defending is cause for concern? You're talking of lack of goals and the need for midfielders but at the same time complaining that we're not doing defending in training? Surely you'd be encouraging as much work on attacking intent with what we have if you're suggesting the players we have are not considered competent as they are.

The common denominator on this forum is that everyone cares about the fortunes of GTFC. But however we start the season and however we end the season the course we take and the journey we go on will be what it is. DA is not reading this forum every day and saying "Yoda thinks we need to do defending so we best jump to it". Granted we all want to see us do well but we have no influence on that so why are people getting so irate weeks before the season has even begun?

Trust DA or don't trust DA, he'll be here on day one and he'll be here by the end of the transfer window and he'll have a squad assembled. It won't be where he wants it to be, nor will it ever be, that's the point of continuous improvement.  Not that my advice carries any weight at all, let alone more than any other poster on this forum but for all those getting their knickers in a twist already just chill out. We all care and we all want the best but our success or failure is well outside our control so don't fret it. Just get behind the club as a whole and trust that everyone employed by the club is doing everything they can to make it successful, and it's more than likely it'll take patience and time to get there.

Yup!

If Yoda knew anything sensible about football he’d know to do any serious drills and structured work on defensive shape & pressing the players need a decent level of fitness so being back for a few weeks before they start isn’t a bad thing.

Quoted from gtfc_chris

I don’t have huge concerns.

Neither do I.  UTM!

Quoted from Yoda

I have huge concerns about the squad and DA comments on his match report about not training  on defence yet.
What have they been training on having shots on target oh wait we never had any.

I think you must have forgot about the shots on target that scored goals against Grimsby Borough, Clee Town and Boston United.

Quoted from Ruuger

I think you must have forgot about the shots on target that scored goals against Grimsby Borough, Clee Town and Boston United.

Maybe he has or maybe he feels those games are inconsequential (which they are) but again, only five minutes after posting on another thread that you’re not bullying Yoda, you pile into him.

Yoda is clearly a troll operating under false pretences. Who cares what he/she/it/they think?

Quoted from MuddyWaters

Maybe he has or maybe he feels those games are inconsequential (which they are) but again, only five minutes after posting on another thread that you’re not bullying Yoda, you pile into him.

Do you seriously think this is bullying?  I had you down for a bit more sense than that.  Do people actually read posts, all I did was answer his statement that we don't have any shots on goal, with facts to prove that we do.

If you want to accuse people of bullying, please understand what bullying is, also do a little research and you will see the real bullies, like the one that told him to F@ck Off, the one that called him an idiot, and another that called him a tool.  That is bullying, quoting facts to someone who has made an incorrect statement is not!

Quoted from Ruuger

I think you must have forgot about the shots on target that scored goals against Grimsby Borough, Clee Town and Boston United.

Mate come on, Grimsby Borough and Clee Town.....  

Shots on target mate, just proving a point.  :)

Quoted from Ruuger

Shots on target mate, just proving a point.  :)

I’m just saying that it’s easier to ignore than it is to bite. Sometimes people troll and sometimes it’s a bit more difficult to work out.

Mate, I only make a comment or debate with someone if I disagree with them.  Forum - discussion - personal opinions.  

So, take a look at the first page of the Danny Rose thread and tell me which of my posts is worse than those on that page.  If I spent more time I could find a lot more of this ilk, but I don't feel the need to.  He has been called stupid, a tosser, a troll, a fool and an idiot, and on a couple of occasions told to F'ck Off, just to name a few, they are all out there on this forum.  I have never called him any names to the best of my knowledge.  So why am I being picked on, yet people who hurl abuse at him do not?

Quoted from Ruuger

Mate, I only make a comment or debate with someone if I disagree with them.  Forum - discussion - personal opinions.  

So, take a look at the first page of the Danny Rose thread and tell me which of my posts is worse than those on that page.  If I spent more time I could find a lot more of this ilk, but I don't feel the need to.  He has been called stupid, a tosser, a troll, a fool and an idiot, and on a couple of occasions told to F'ck Off, just to name a few, they are all out there on this forum.  I have never called him any names to the best of my knowledge.  So why am I being picked on, yet people who hurl abuse at him do not?

Are you familiar with the adage when in a hole stop digging?

Quoted from Ruuger

Do you seriously think this is bullying?  I had you down for a bit more sense than that.  Do people actually read posts, all I did was answer his statement that we don't have any shots on goal, with facts to prove that we do.

If you want to accuse people of bullying, please understand what bullying is, also do a little research and you will see the real bullies, like the one that told him to F@ck Off, the one that called him an idiot, and another that called him a tool.  That is bullying, quoting facts to someone who has made an incorrect statement is not!

As someone who dealt with investigations into bullying for most of my professional career,I suggest you read the excellent work by Tim Field called Bully in Sight. It may help you develop some insight into your actions that you may be sadly lacking.

I'd missed this!  :)

Quoted from HerveJosse

Are you familiar with the adage when in a hole stop digging?

Lol, my point proved.

Clearly this squad is better than Holloway relegation XI - who would you prefer to have Danny Rose (or Donovan Wilson for that matter) or Ira Jackson or Montel Gibson?

On the one hand you can say we've kept hold of our best players from last season (Tharme, Rose, Thompson). Added what should be a better goalkeeper, some defenders who should be better than the dross we had last season and we've added some better midfielders in McEachran and Svanphorson and Vernam and Ainley might seem like new signings.

In reality I suspect this season will be a bit better than last season but I can't see us pushing for the play offs. We need another 4-5 better quality players for that.

I wouldn't place too much focus on the York game, I remember going to see us in a preseason friendly under Buckley and getting absolutely smashed, everyone around us thought we were certain for relegation, in the end I think we finished top half in the second tier. Pre-season always has some weird result (and lets be honest it wouldn't be Town if one of our old boys didnt score against us!)

Fleetwood and Cheltenham are big games imo . We have a tough stretch of fixtures after that on paper at least . It's imperative we get off to a decent start i really don't want to be on 0 points after 2 games with Artell saying we have 44 games to go and the squad isn't complete yet . After last season we need a solid start to gain some forward impetus imo .

Quoted from Mappers

Fleetwood and Cheltenham are big games imo . We have a tough stretch of fixtures after that on paper at least . It's imperative we get off to a decent start i really don't want to be on 0 points after 2 games with Artell saying we have 44 games to go and the squad isn't complete yet . After last season we need a solid start to gain some forward impetus imo .

You just know it will be don’t you?!