Promotion thread

[AdamStag]

well, if there's a relegation thread?

Firstly, Exeter. Wow what a start, keeping going from last season and have purchased well.

Notts county, presumably a fluke but Nolan is a good manager, tbey picked up brilliantly under him like Exeter last season.

Also, the favourites of Luton, Mansfield, Swindon and Coventry already all lurk in the top 8.

Bring it on

 

[jacobncfc]

See you in a couple of weeks.

 

[AFaceInTheCrowd]

Far too early to consider anything yet for Notts. Points on the board until January. Although the league begins to take shape after 10. I've seen Notts 6 points at the top and clear in October and stay up on the last day. Hope we keep grounded and keep adding enough points to hit 50 soon as possible first.

We will have a better understanding of where we are after our next 3 fixtures.
Lincoln home
Exeter away
Mansfield away

 

[jacobncfc]

Take it cautiously, of course, but this Notts team looks different to recent ones that have started the season well or gone on good runs. There's no clinging on at the end for points or getting lucky, the four wins/clean sheets in a row have come in games where you could easily count the opposition chances in all of them put together on one hand.

We also look like we're well up for a scrap, which goes a long way at this level. I'd be amazed if either team finishes that game at Field Mill in a couple of weeks with eleven men, it's not going to be one for the purists for sure.

 

[That Fat Centre Half]

Exeters start has been fantastic really, in a way slightly surprising as they have lost some of there better players from last season, shows that Tisdale is a very good manager indeed. Also makes a mockery of those who say you have to play it long and be an ugly side to do well in this league like I have seen mentioned on here recently. Obviously not seen them this season but they have always been a football side first and foremost in previous seasons. I think our 2 matches against them this season could be very good games to watch.

As for us, we have played well 2 times so far and the rest have been at best average performances and find ourselves 4th so we have scope for improvement. Think there is more to come from us, especially if we change our shape from the diamond to a formation that allows us to get the best of our front 2. Its too narrow to get the best out of Collins who seems to thrive on balls in the box.

 

[CCFC_Charlie]

Having started quite poorly performance wise, we’ve really picked up over the last few games. Lack of goals is still and big concern, but in Jodi Jones we have one of the best players in the league. We’ll struggle to keep him in January at the rate he’s going. Haven’t seen today’s game yet but we’ve been the ‘better side’ in pretty much every game we’ve played, and are perhaps unlucky not to have more points (bad goalkeeping errors for goals against Newport and Yeovil).

Expecting mid-play-offs for us at the moment, although our next two games are Exeter at home and Swindon away so things could change a lot after that.

 

[CCFC_Charlie]

Having started quite poorly performance wise, we’ve really picked up over the last few games. Lack of goals is still a big concern, but in Jodi Jones we have one of the best players in the league. We’ll struggle to keep him in January at the rate he’s going. Haven’t seen today’s game yet but we’ve been the ‘better side’ in pretty much every game we’ve played, and are perhaps unlucky not to have more points (bad goalkeeping errors for goals against Newport and Yeovil).

Expecting mid-play-offs for us at the moment, although our next two games are Exeter at home and Swindon away so things could change a lot after that.

Oops, quoted this by accident and can’t find the delete button on mobile

 

[The Jovial Forester]

Far too early, it'll be February at least until we're up there.

 

[Trapdoor]

We've had a fantastic start.

But we had 7 wins in a row last season and didn't go up so we can't read too much into it at this stage.

Tisdale is empirically our best ever manager and he knows he has a secure long term job allowing him to plan better than most managers. Our recruitment this year has given us incredible strength in depth, the entire second eleven would be a decent L2 side and crucially we seem to have tightened up a lot since last year.

In our current form, anyone who is able to beat us is going to be worth putting money on for promotion.

 

[barnet_pls]

I thought we came close on Tuesday.

 

[Trapdoor]

Barnet look like a really good side this year. Much much better than last year. I think you guys will do very well this season, playoffs at the very least.

 

[Moomin]

Still very early and we could well still do an almighty fuck up.

That said, I'd be amazed if we weren't challenging for the autos come April/ May. I believe we've secured something like 86 points from our last 46 league games so it shows we've been consistent promotion material for, effectively, a whole season. My main confidence comes from the strength in depth we have all over and we're still scoring plenty plus have tightened up defensively which is huge.

I've only seen three games this season and I thought Newport had what it takes to be a dark horse for the play offs.

Of those I've not seen, Luton should well be in the top three with their squad. Hylton and Collins will score plenty plus Berry and Ruddock are very talented. And not to forget Jack Stacey who is a very good player who I will love for ever.

Expect Mansfield to be in the top 3 as Evans seems to have gotten them going now and they have a good squad. Hemmings and Angol will score plenty.

Suspect Notts County will have a good season. Nolan has them playing well by all accounts and I've always liked Duffy plus getting Grant on loan is a coup for them. Good experience throughout their team. We welcome them next to SJP which will be a good indication of where both teams are.

Same goes for Cov. On paper a decent squad and good manager. They've improved of late but perhaps will be a playoff contender.

My prediction for top 7 is:

Luton
Exeter
Mansfield

Notts
Newport
Coventry
Swindon

 

[AdamStag]

For me the season doesn't take shape until October at the earliest. When we won the conference we were something like 14 points behind Newport at the new year (who were promoted with us in the end),sides with much greater depth will benefit in th coming winter months.

 

[Optipez]

The table seems to be shaping up now with the big spenders putting unbeaten runs together.
I suspect that the top seven are already lurking in the top ten of the table, just expect that mini league to shuffle places with Mansfield and Luton edging us and Accrington from the top three and have a feeling Swindon and Lincoln have further to climb.

As for us, if we can stay within four points of the playoffs until the transfer window opens and strengthen up front and keep Grant and Yates, then based on Nolans results, recruitment and especially home form we should have a chance of our first playoffs in twenty years.
Exeter, Mansfield and Luton should be favourites, but one team usually underperforms each year so who knows.

 

[SkyBluesRose]

Oops, quoted this by accident and can’t find the delete button on mobile

There's a delete button?

 

[GTFCfish]

A promotion thread in September?
Seriously WTF?!

 

[Kenneth E End]

Trust a Mansfield fan to start this thread.

 

[Conker]

I feel like Exeter went under the radar pre-season.

I'm just happy they lost Watkins and Wheeler.

 

[Indian Dan]

It's all fluff and nonsense at the moment. Some doing well will stall when injuries/suspensions hit and their squad is thin. Others are finding their feet and will come on strong .

Leave this thread til Xmas, I reckon.

 

[The_Viking_Magpie]

Complete fluff in mid September

 

[Kenneth E End]

I feel like Exeter went under the radar pre-season.

I'm just happy they lost Watkins and Wheeler.

They'll be around the top 7, but I severely doubt top 3.

 

[Stringy]

I must have seen posts backing at least 14 different clubs for the play-offs already. Either some people are getting carried away or it's going to be even tighter than last year.

I think you can have a promotion thread at this stage as long as all language and predictions are cautious. There's definitely some meaningful discussion to be had. We've already had it on Notts Co and Exeter.

 

[Luke Imp]

It's a good effort, but I'm not sure it's quite as early as Lew's promotion thread in the NL forum 3 or 4 years ago.

 

[Habbinalan]

I wandered in here expecting to find "Free Pizza with Every Away Ticket" or "Win a Nintendo Switch by predicting the first sighting of Steve Evans' Arse."

Where do I go to find the Coupons thread?

 

[WH_Stag]

Have county played a good team yet?

 

[Gladders]

It's a good effort, but I'm not sure it's quite as early as Lew's promotion thread in the NL forum 3 or 4 years ago.

Nope this is far earlier, think Lews was around October when we went top, that was far too early, so not sure what that says about this

 

[PaulHaddock]

We're in the top half, so it's definitely far too early to think about promotion teams yet. There's always a team that comes in after Christmas too.

 

[The_Viking_Magpie]

Have county played a good team yet?

Funnily enough it's probably early to tell

On the league table alone, the answer is clearly yes.

 

[Son of Cod]

We're in the top half

We are?

 

[PaulHaddock]

We are?

Semantics . Those 5 teams on 12 points was what threw me.