Mid-season predictions

[Bendubz]

23 matches in, 23 to go, time for some end-of season predictions I think. To help everyone, I'm stealing an idea from our forum and showing the table sorted by points tally, not position. For those on the same # of points the ones with better GD are listed first, and those that have a game in hand have an asterix for each game in hand they have:

49 - Lincoln
----------------------
48
47 - Forest Green, Tranmere
46
45
44 - Barrow*
43 - Dover*
---------------------
42 - Dagenham
41
40
39
38
37
36 - Boreham*
35 - Chester, Eastleigh
34 - Gateshead, Macclesfield**
33 - Aldershot
32
31
30
29 - Bromley, Sutton, Wrexham
28
27
26 - Solihull
25 - Torquay, Maidstone
24
23 - Woking
22
21 - Southport
----------------------
20 - Braintree*
19
18
17 - Guiseley, York
16
15 - North Ferriby


My predictions:

Champions - They're in good form, they haven't really played poorly at any time this season, they have a good manager, I think Tranmere are making their return to the FL as Champs.
Tranmere

Play offs - I can't see how anyone below Dagenham can make up the gap tbh, and from the clubs up the top I'm going with Dover missing out, the likely loss of Miller in January being the blow that costs them back-to-back top 5 finishes. As for who goes up through the play offs, I have a feeling FGR may make up for missing out last year.
Lincoln, Barrow, Forest Green (P), Dagenham

Relegation - This one looks really hard to predict, but at the same time really easy. York and NFU feel like dead certs atm, but for the other two spots it could be any combination from Guiseley up to Bromley I reckon. Wrexham and Sutton are most likely to escape to midtable soon, and both Guiseley and Southport have that Southport feeling, so it's interesting trying to fill the other two slots. Braintree haven't really looked great against anybody so I'm putting them on the list, and from the others I'd go with Torquay as they have problems both on and off the pitch, and survival as a club will be much more important than survival in the division so a dip into the regionalised divisions may be beneficial in the long term.
Torquay, Braintree, North Ferriby, York

 

[Mark kavanagh]

Hope your right about us and wrong about york.

Champs lincoln

Play offs. Fgr (p) tran barrow and chester

Down, nfu braintree york and solihull (hope im wrong about the last 2)

 

[joethegill]

From an outsiders point of view....

Champions: Tranmere
Play Offs: FGR, Lincoln, Dagenham, Dover - Lincoln to go up

Relegation: Guiseley, NFU, Southport and Braintree

 

[Raymondo316]

Champions: Lincoln
Play Offs: FGR, Tranmere, Barrow and Dover - FGR go up

Relegation: Guiseley, North Ferriby, York and Maidstone

 

[Davidimp]

Us and Tranmere back up in the league
Looks like are 3 Yorkshire sides to go plus Braintree.

 

[Tranmerewhite]

Called us and Lincoln a while back, no reason to change that view of late.

 

[FGR Stroud]

(C) - FGR
(P)Tranmere, Lincoln, Barrow, D&R

Relegated
NFU, York, Braintree, Southport

 

[Joe.]

Would be good to see Maidstone come back down, but would be another easy play off win for them so stay up please.

Dover will finish in the play offs I think. Ricky Miller is key, but Ross Lafayette and Moses Ademola/Emannuel seem to be doing OK too!

Lincoln will hopefully win the league, with Tranmere following them.

Torquay coming down would be a nice away day for us.

 

[Boz]

Lincoln/Forest Green to go up. Imps have the better manager, FGR the stronger squad so hard to call.

Rovers, Barrow and Dover edging out Dagenham for the last play-off spot. Total lottery as to who goes up.

While NFU look certs to go down, after that there are a number in the mix. Braintree and Guiseley both seem to be recovering from poor starts, York seem to be throwing money around in the hope of staying up, though a fair bit of catching up to do. Southport's luck may have run out, then you consider sides plunging down the league like Maidstone.

 

[chipmunx]

Barrow to go up as champions
Play offs between;- Lincoln, Forrest Green, Tranmere and Dover
Lincoln win play off final against Tranmere on a penalty shoot out. They put Rhead in goals and he blocks the goal and all Tranny shots...
Relegation;- NFU, Woking (they sell Ugwu to FGR in January), Torquay and Southport

 

[LeWhites]

Champions: Lincoln
Play offs: Barrow, FGR (P), Dover, Tranmere.
Relegation: NFU, Guiseley, Torquay and Braintree

If we somehow manage to keep Miller until the end of the season we're going up as champions though.

 

[Bigluke]

How tough is this. Like everyone the title will surely be between, FGR, Tranmere, Lincoln and Barrow, and separating them is ridiculously hard. Though unfair I think the former will simply go out and spend even more money next month to ensure it is they, leaving the other two to go through the lottery of the play offs, didn't they already bring in another forward from Chelmsford yesterday?
Other teams simply can not afford to do that. Logically unless a surprise horse comes out of the pack they will surely be joined by either D&R or us, and I do worry obviously about Miller. Last year we had three players who between them scored sixty goals, and if he leaves we have Lafayette (9), Ademola (8) Modeste (1) and Pinnock (0) left to fill the gap, and that is so worrying as unlike FGR we cant go out and pay £50K or so to bring someone in, and if we could would they really want to come all the way down to Dover?

Relegation looks a bit clearer, with NF who simply cant score certainties, and I fear the same applies to Guiseley, of the remaining candidates, without any rationale to back it up, I sort of think York will escape, leaving Southport, Braintree, Woking and Maidstone to fight it out between each other...God it's going to be tough

 

[LeWhites]

unlike FGR we cant go out and pay £50K or so to bring someone in, and if we could would they really want to come all the way down to Dover?

Why not? If we get £200k for Miller, surely we'll splash some cash on a replacement? Preferably a central midfielder of a centre half

 

[Luke Imp]

Too close to call between Lincoln, FGR, Tranmere and Barrow for the title IMO. Everyone has a bit of a wobble in the season - FGR's is now, which they'll come out of, we had a 3 or 4 game on in September - hoping it's the only one! - Tranmere has one under Brabin but Barrow had one at the start of the season.

I'm trying to look at who's going to make a surge into the PO's from no-where and I'm struggling, so I'm going to say the top 6 will remain as they are.

Relegation wise, I can't see NFU getting out of it. Braintree have won just one home game, and that should be your bread and butter games in the league. York will get out of it, surely? Torquay, Southport and Woking all seem to pick up odd results here and there.

Just as I can't see anyone making a surge, I can't see anyone bombing either.

 

[joethegill]

Why not? If we get £200k for Miller, surely we'll splash some cash on a replacement? Preferably a central midfielder of a centre half

I think you'd struggle to get 200k for a non-league player out of contract 5 months later. I imagine a lot of football clubs would wait til the summer and nab him on a free then if they can.

 

[Bigluke]

Why not? If we get £200k for Miller, surely we'll splash some cash on a replacement? Preferably a central midfielder of a centre half

Not a hope in hell. If he had 18 months left on his contract, I think you'd be right, but it could be as little as three months if someone signed him at the end of January and no-one is going to sign him for that surely when but a few months later he would go for nothing. I know JP has a few quid but that would be commercial madness. I reckon between, depending on size of club I suppose, between £50 & £100K...that's my prediction

 

[Bigluke]

I think you'd struggle to get 200k for a non-league player out of contract 5 months later. I imagine a lot of football clubs would wait til the summer and nab him on a free then if they can.

Or with the money saved, get him to sign a contract in January as they are allowed, and offer him a huge signing on bonus which will come into affect in the Summer. That would probably please Dover fans (cant say it would please the chairman mind) as well as it means we will have him, hopefully until the play offs

 

[LeWhites]

I think you'd struggle to get 200k for a non-league player out of contract 5 months later. I imagine a lot of football clubs would wait til the summer and nab him on a free then if they can.

FWIW I agree with you, I just can't see Parmenter accepting less than that. Promotion is worth more than that to us.

In a world where Bondz NGala is worth £60k + with 6 months on his contract, Miller is surely worth £200k

 

[LeWhites]

Or with the money saved, get him to sign a contract in January as they are allowed, and offer him a huge signing on bonus which will come into affect in the Summer. That would probably please Dover fans (cant say it would please the chairman mind) as well as it means we will have him, hopefully until the play offs

Why would he sign another deal? Anything we can pay him a league club can match, and he believes he's good enough to play Championship level football. He's not going to sign a deal. Question is whether we cash in or let him go in June. I'd personally keep him unless we were offered £200k +

 

[Joe.]

Why would he sign another deal? Anything we can pay him a league club can match, and he believes he's good enough to play Championship level football. He's not going to sign a deal. Question is whether we cash in or let him go in June. I'd personally keep him unless we were offered £200k +

Over to Eastleigh it is then...

 

[joethegill]

FWIW I agree with you, I just can't see Parmenter accepting less than that. Promotion is worth more than that to us.

In a world where Bondz NGala is worth £60k + with 6 months on his contract, Miller is surely worth £200k

Don't get me wrong, I totally agree with you. We had this last season with John Egan - had several £million+ bids in January but we felt it was more worth our while to keep him and get promoted. In the end, we screwed up our season, John left for nothing and we're still awaiting the tribunal. We'll probably get 500k or something out of the deal, but nowhere near what we would've considered selling him for in January.

 

[LeWhites]

Don't get me wrong, I totally agree with you. We had this last season with John Egan - had several £million+ bids in January but we felt it was more worth our while to keep him and get promoted. In the end, we screwed up our season, John left for nothing and we're still awaiting the tribunal. We'll probably get 500k or something out of the deal, but nowhere near what we would've considered selling him for in January.

Of course it's a gamble, but what's £100k going to do for us in the long run? I honestly thought last season would be our one and only shot at getting into the FL, if losing Miller for free at the end of the season means we get another shot at the play offs I'd take it

 

[Minstermen central]

Tranmere to win it (got rid of idiot manager)

NFU,Braintree,Guiseley & southport

We are rubbish but chairman willing to spend and 2 more signing tomorrow

 

[wilsontown]

I think the impact of Jon Parkin and whoever these two who are signing tomorrow are will determine our fate. Right now we're a total clusterfuck and will go down if things don't markedly improve pretty much immediately.

 

[Harrier94]

I think the impact of Jon Parkin and whoever these two who are signing tomorrow are will determine our fate. Right now we're a total clusterfuck and will go down if things don't markedly improve pretty much immediately.

Just out of curiosity cos he was linked here a couple of times and has always been a good player in the North how is Nti doing?

 

[wilsontown]

Nti has been no more than OK, but that has allowed him to stand out in our team full of garbage. He's currently suspended because of a witless sending off against Lincoln in injury time when the game was long lost, but he did score a cracker the other week. He does provide a bit of positivity going forward that we otherwise lack, but he hasn't really imposed himself on any games.
Overall he hasn't made the step up, but Mills seems to like him so he'll presumably get some more chances to shine.

 

[Back in the DHSS]

With the way things stand at the moment, i can't see the top 4 changing that much. Based on the current squads, FGR are my favourites followed by Tranmere, Lincoln and Barrow. Dagenham have really gone to the dogs and i can't see much of a way back for them, even with John Still in charge. Don't think Dover are well enough equipped to maintain 5th spot, so for me 5th is still wide open to the chasing pack.
I really hope North Ferriby get relegated as they bring absolutley nothing to this league. Got my fingers crossed that York, Guiseley and Southport all stay up.

 

[Nat Brown's Foil Coat]

I think York will stay up if Sean Newton can get his head right and start putting balls on Parkin's head. We were solid lower-mid table with him assisting nearly every goal we scored.

 

[Forza Imps]

With the way things stand at the moment, i can't see the top 4 changing that much. Based on the current squads, FGR are my favourites followed by Tranmere, Lincoln and Barrow. Dagenham have really gone to the dogs and i can't see much of a way back for them, even with John Still in charge. Don't think Dover are well enough equipped to maintain 5th spot, so for me 5th is still wide open to the chasing pack.
I really hope North Ferriby get relegated as they bring absolutley nothing to this league. Got my fingers crossed that York, Guiseley and Southport all stay up.

Well they do give us a local away game. That's nice of them.

 

[MTFC_07]

Champions - Tranmere
I think it will be one of the current top three, and because I think they haven't really got into full throttle yet, it will be Tranmere. Lincoln have a very good manager, and good players, but possibly not the strength in depth of FGR and Tranmere. FGR's record against the top teams is not particularly great.

Play Offs - FGR, Lincoln, Barrow, Dover
In addition to the three above teams, I think Barrow should comfortably reach the play offs, but I'm not quite sure they have the experience of competing at the top yet to close out a season at the very top. On what I have seen (which is pretty limited), Barrow were a good side, but not quite on the same level as FGR and Lincoln. I think 5th place is the only one up for grabs to the chasing pack, but Dover and Dagenham are obviously currently in the best positions to finish there. I think Dagenham will fall away, as relegated teams so often do, and finish nearer to 10th. Dover will probably have just enough to consolidate that position, although Eastleigh are probably best equipped to push them close if they ever get their act together and stop changing their players and manager every week.

Relegation - Solihull Moors, Maidstone, Guiseley, North Ferriby
This is definitely going to contest of 9/10 teams and is going to be very close, with the exception of North Ferriby, who I predict will finish last on around 30 points, and a similar amount of goals! I think Guiseley have improved, but their terrible start will cost them. Maidstone's poor home form may cost them and Solihull Moors have lost their manager half way through the season, but these two are pure guesses and it could be any two of Maidstone, Solihull, Torquay, Southport, Braintree, York etc. I think York may sign enough decent players, such as Jon Parkin, to get them out of their mess. Braintree always defy the odds and I think Steve Burr will do enough for Southport to survive. Woking won't be threatened in the end I don't think, despite their small budget we're constantly reminded of, and Torquay should do just about enough.

Lastly, I think I'm going to get my pre-season prediction for Macc almost spot on - 10th!