How will we do this season? (Poll)

How will we do this coming season?

As long as we stay in business and pay our bills I can't see us getting relegated even if we finish bottom.

I'm expecting at least two other clubs to have financial troubles and get big points deductions.

8th-12th.

I think we will start slow due to our pre-season schedule or lack of it. A week is a massive difference and we don't have any other friendlies arranged before the season starts in 2 weeks with the cup games.

I think we will finish the season strong but ultimately miss out.

Oh and I voted 18th-22nd purely on where we are now .

Might/should change when I see what other signings Ollie comes up with.

I voted for us to be relagated , but only from looking at what players we have now.  I fully expect us to get more players , but will they be what we need . time will tell. A better time for a poll is when we have a squad together so we can judge better, but at the moment we are miles away from a squad and then getting them to gel

8-12

Mid table mediocrity this season.

As good as his influence proved to be at GTFC for the 10 weeks he had, because of the COVID situation, that influence will have to start over again. At least last season he had a team to play with immediately whereas this season, unless Ollie has a really busy 2 weeks with new signings, he is only working with 3/4 of the players he needs.

Slow start to the season but picking up pace as the season goes on

Quoted from promotion plaice

As long as we stay in business and pay our bills I can't see us getting relegated even if we finish bottom.
.

That's the spirit!

Quoted from pizzzza

That's the spirit!

Haha...Cheers  

People are already saying it's all about the season after next, pretty much what we've been hearing for the last 20 years. We are constantly rebuilding for some glorious future that never arrives. I'm hoping IH is the one to finally get us up to the higher reaches of the league, but that's all it is at this moment, hope.

Not going to get my hopes up, been there, done that too many times.

For me, I think the truth probably lies somewhere between the outlooks of those who got a little giddy and talked of promotion bets after we made a handful of signings a week and a half ago and the doomsayers who are predicting major problems given the poor preparation ahead of the season.

Let’s be honest, if this were a normal season where we are right now would be hugely concerning. The players have had little by way of proper training, and friendly matches are few and far between.

We have a squad which contains only 13 seasoned, EFL pros, by which I’m defining as having played more than a handful of games at this level (excluding Sam Russell, who is essentially a coach first and foremost). That’s a worryingly small number, and if we do add to it I’d expect it to be by no more than 2 or 3.

The bulk of the players we’ve brought in are relative unknowns at this level, as are the crop of youngsters who will make up the rest of this season’s squad.

As concerning as that is, we are by no means the only League Two club in this predicament. Take a look at the BBC Sport homepage for League 2 - there is very little going on.

We do have the benefit of the division’s most experienced manager, but let’s not get carried away here either. Ollie has some fantastic achievements in his locker, but like most managers he also has failures too. Perhaps more pertinently, as experienced as he is, he has zero experience of managing under these circumstances. Like every other manager in League’s One and Two, he’s learning on the job right now.

There are a handful of clubs who appear to be going about their business and spending with relative normalcy. They’re the usual suspects, and good luck to them - I expect them to be the ones nailed on for promotion. We can’t do that, so we have to make the most of the cards at our disposal.

On balance, I expect a slow start with a gradual improvement that leads us to a point of relatively comfortable safety, but little more than that. A promotion chasing season would be a fantastic tonic for us all, but I think it’s a fanciful idea.

The only thing that matters over the course of the next twelve months for GTFC is survival. Yes, in the EFL of course, but most importantly as a going concern. I’m not trying to be unnecessarily dramatic here, but the last six months have been incredibly difficult for the club and we still do not know what the next six months or so hold.

I think we’ll do ‘ok’, next season, but above all I just hope that we and in fact all 72 EFL clubs are still around in a year’s time. Well, maybe not MK Dons...

It’s impossible to tell really at this point. We certainly won’t be the worst team.
It’s definitely a building process with the young lads that we are getting and they look like they can put the goals away.
Who knows what can happen. Gonna be an exciting ride

I’m struggling to see beyond anything other than finishing just outside the relegation zone.

I suspect other clubs will be in the same predicament as us which means the scrap to steer clear of the bottom may include more clubs than the scrap for promotion.

The ‘buzz’ that existed from the time Holloway came in has well and truly disappeared, this could be a factor too. I appreciate it is nobody’s fault but that loss of excitement could play a part.

As some have said, if we were in this position in normal circumstances we’d be concerned and rightfully so. Under the current circumstances there can be a little leeway.

I’m hoping we’re all surprised but I guess with the last 5 months it’s hard to really be super optimistic, couple that with the fact we can’t actually go and watch a game which again, for me feels like the season isn’t real or actually happening.

Holloway has had good and bd parts to his career, I hope we see a good part but I guess my current thought process comes from a place of concern rather than overly pessimistic. I suspect this question will need revisiting around November time.

I do think there are wider contributing factors, which again, other clubs will be experiencing but this isn’t really a debate about the club and it’s own lack of ambition: we’re focusing on the playing staff and coaching and how they will fair. I guess some are more optimistic than others.

The balls are in the air as they say, anyone can do anything this season, we have an inexperienced crew but a flamboyant captain at the wheel in Ollie.
Let's see if he can navigate us into the blue yonder or fearfully floundering on the rocks

As I have been for the past 65 years, I am forevever hopeful.

Hoping for an Ollie miracle, I have gone for the play offs.

I’ll be glad of a team to support, frankly.

I’ll just be happy to get back in the stands to watch the team I love play some footy again. Seems a very long time since Scunny away.

Not going to be easy for any club at our level this season. We’re all in a similar boat so who knows where we can get to.

Convinced we have the best manager in the league who could get a team to thrive in such difficult circumstances.

Well the buzz of having IH hasn’t gone for me at all. I think with the Covid situation without him we’d be in deep trouble but I’m still excited at what he’ll get out of our players. You might call me deluded but I’m still very excited at IH being with us. Top half would be a great accomplishment thanks s season under these circumstances. UTMM!

The good thing about all the noise, bravado and bullshit Holloway has shown about what he wants to do for the club means he isn't going to walk away if / when it goes mammaries up (unless there is a big bust up with the board) his pride won't let him admit defeat.

I agree he can 'get them to thrive' but you can't make a silk purse etc If the players aren't good enough (and lets hope that is a minority of them) even Holloway's skills aren't going to carry the day

Just above the relegation zone for me and I think that will be perfectly reasonable

Won 4 tickets for Grantham Town a while ago, so I think I might take in a game or two watching them until I can watch Town again. (Unless they clash with iFollow Town games that is!)

With all the imponderables, the votes are mostly gut-feeling guesses - we all realize that.

I'm a bit surprised at the low expectations tbh. If Hanson and Williams can stay fit (   ) we've a top-notch player up front and in midfield.
Our defence & keeper are decent. If Ollie plans 3 at the back, we need a plausible defensive midfielder. Hendrie could do the job maybe,
or perhaps Mohsni. His disciplinary record is scary, but IH wouldn't have signed him if he felt he wouldn't stay on the pitch long.
(Though every previous manager Mohsni has had in this country probably felt the same way and were wrong.   )

Sisay is presumably Hanson's cover/understudy. And bring him on, to rest Hanson, when we're 2 up or 3 down.

So (3-5-2):

                     Green/Jackson/Gibson                  Hanson (Sisay)

Clifton/Jackson        Williams                    Hewitt                 Tilley/Wright
                                               Mohsni

           Pollock (Idehen)       Waterfall (Ohman)         Hendrie

                                               Macca

...with maybe Mohsni & Hendrie swapped. Not too bad to my ageing eyes. Williams could be super-special imo.

Clearly if we're going to have a good season we need at least one of the young strikers to make the grade fairly quickly (   ).
They've shown they can score given more time and space at a lower-level. They should benefit from playing alongside Hanson,
who occupies many of the opposing defenders thoughts.

Anyway, my head being unable to assess all the possibilities football-wise or  Covid19-wise - I shall vote with my heart: Champions!

(If our first 2 loan signings are Glennon and Benson this won't look quite so stupid. But I do get notoriously optimistic at this time of year.)

UTMM

Quoted from Mallyner

As I have been for the past 65 years, I am forevever hopeful.

Hoping for an Ollie miracle, I have gone for the play offs.

Yep ever hopeful 55 years, I've gone for Champions.