The rumour...

Quoted from Grantley

So what is the answer then? Spend money that we don’t have on one player and hope that he scores the 30 goals required to see us champions in our first season back, an event which has happened once in the past decade?

Wrexham, Stockport and possibly Chesterfield are spending more on wages and fees than most L2 teams this summer - they’re blowing everyone out the water and were favourites for promotion this season before their play-off final even happened. This doesn’t even factor in smaller moneybags teams like Solihull, Eastleigh and Boreham Wood and the traditional league teams like Torquay (Gary Johnson) and Southend. Heck, even Barnet and Dagenham have put together decent squads.

The quality of football in this league probably isn’t what it was 10 years ago but it’s so much more competitive. The last team to spend big and win the league was Luton and they at least had the fans to do that and got their act together.

Re your comments on off the pitch improvements: Salford showed that throwing money at a project can get you so far. They’ve now stalled in League 2, probably because they still train everyday on a pitch at the local park. Tbh I think if we had got a decent striker in you’d have been complaining that we weren’t spending any money on upgrading the facilities!

You’re pretty much admitting yourself that you don’t expect us to challenge. I’ve got this nasty feeling that we’re going to be paddling against the tide for quite a while yet.

Think it's a bit premature writing us off at this stage, lets at least give it till the end of September?
We don't have a clue what Chesterfield paid in terms of fee or salary but it might turn out to be a waste of dosh.
Have some faith, at least until we've kicked a ball in earnest

Quoted from MuddyWaters

You’re pretty much admitting yourself that you don’t expect us to challenge. I’ve got this nasty feeling that we’re going to be paddling against the tide for quite a while yet.

20 years of abject failure, a team that never moved forward since we re-entered the league…in what world did you expect us to go down and simply throw cash at it and come straight back up?

Anyone that believed we’d go straight back is deluded. We’ve new owners changing things, we’ve a manager people have a respect for but ultimately we’re the worst of 92 teams last year, a reputation of being a flipping joke offering excrement contracts, that takes time to change…

I don’t get where this expectation that we will automatically be challenging for promotion comes from. Only once in our history after relegation have we got promoted straight afterwards, twice in the past 35 years we’ve gone down back to back so just based on history we’re more likely to go down again! We’ve only finished in the top half of league 2 once in the 15 years, we are not big hitters any longer as much as it pains me as somebody introduced to Town in 1979.

We don’t know the ins and outs of marquee signings but the assumption that these players definitely want to sign is almost laughable. Maybe we were outbid, maybe we were just turned down?

I’d love us to go straight back up but history tells us that we need to be patient, get rid of some of the deadwood still hanging about and building a formula that players want to play for. Lincoln took 6 seasons, eventually looked at building a sustainable club and yes got a little lucky with a huge cup run to put bums on seats, like we did in 1989, and the feel good then stayed.

It may not happen overnight, it won’t be for the lack of trying, but we need to get behind them all no matter out hopes or fears for the coming season(s). The one thing I read in this thread, though, is that all of us are frustrated at where we find ourselves again even if we have different opinions on how long is will/should take us to get out of this situation... we need to stick together. UTM

Some unappealing views on this thread. Some people apparently think we are too 'Massive' for this league. Not all that long ago we were mocking the Wednesday fans for a similar attitude. Most (if not all?) of the teams in our league are full-time professionals so trying to claim it is some sort of tinpot affair doesn't do the league justice. Several clubs our size or bigger in here, some of which have more money to spend as well, that's alongside some smaller clubs who have a lot of money to spend.

Regarding our budget, it shouldn't be forgotten that a decent chunk of that is going into the pockets of Holloway signings who Hurst has decided he doesn't want at the club. Based on what we saw from them last season, this is understandable. They have contracts which we have to continue to pay unless we can get them to move on - even then it will no doubt cost us as teams aren't queueing up to sign players not wanted by the worst Football League team last season.

Hopefully, we'll get another couple of decent signings before the start of the season as well as some of the injured players back. We have to aim for a play-off place and if that means grinding out goalless draws away from home and nicking other matches by a single goal, I'll be happy enough with that. I certainly don't see the need for any hysteria after a reasonable enough pre-season considering we've had so many players absent.

Think this thread will be well worth revisiting in a couple of weeks time!

Danny Rose anybody? - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danny_Rose_(footballer,_born_1993)

Northampton fans think he might be on his way out.

Remember him being good for Mansfield, and surprised he's only 27

Quoted from forza ivano

Think this thread will be well worth revisiting in a couple of weeks time!

I agree, not a real game played yet. Let’s see where we are after 10 or 12 games. I fully expect us to be competitive but there will be blips this is inevitable.

I think if we had signed a couple of decent forwards none of us would be having this conversation This is easier said than done. We need to get lucky in our search for a striker as the rest of the team does not look too bad. All Will be revealed in the next three months For many of us I don’t think it is this too massive concept It is more the tedium of the National League. I have been a fanatical fan all my life but after about four years last time even with a season ticket I was struggling to go. Most of the games have no atmosphere and I just could not take a lot of joy from Beating the likes of Solihull even if they were decent teams. Utm

Quoted from Maringer

Some unappealing views on this thread. Some people apparently think we are too 'Massive' for this league. Not all that long ago we were mocking the Wednesday fans for a similar attitude. Most (if not all?) of the teams in our league are full-time professionals so trying to claim it is some sort of tinpot affair doesn't do the league justice. Several clubs our size or bigger in here, some of which have more money to spend as well, that's alongside some smaller clubs who have a lot of money to spend.

Regarding our budget, it shouldn't be forgotten that a decent chunk of that is going into the pockets of Holloway signings who Hurst has decided he doesn't want at the club. Based on what we saw from them last season, this is understandable. They have contracts which we have to continue to pay unless we can get them to move on - even then it will no doubt cost us as teams aren't queueing up to sign players not wanted by the worst Football League team last season.

Hopefully, we'll get another couple of decent signings before the start of the season as well as some of the injured players back. We have to aim for a play-off place and if that means grinding out goalless draws away from home and nicking other matches by a single goal, I'll be happy enough with that. I certainly don't see the need for any hysteria after a reasonable enough pre-season considering we've had so many players absent.

Regarding budget, it was made clear by PH that the contracted players who ‘would be putting cones out’ wouldn’t affect the budget.

I just find it quite strange that people are prepared to write this season off. I’m not sure, either, that we’ve had a ‘reasonable enough’ pre season only if you compare it with last, I guess.

Quoted from Jarmo.Is.God

Danny Rose anybody? - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danny_Rose_(footballer,_born_1993)

Northampton fans think he might be on his way out.

Remember him being good for Mansfield, and surprised he's only 27

I’ll swap you a Danny Rose for a Danny Rose?