National League 2021/22

[chief]

Aldershot Town
Altrincham
Barnet
Boreham Wood
Bromley
Chesterfield
Dagenham & Redbridge
Dover Athletic
Eastleigh
Grimsby Town
FC Halifax Town
King's Lynn Town
Maidenhead United
Notts County
Solihull Moors
Southend United
Stockport County
Torquay United
Wealdstone
Weymouth
Woking
Wrexham
Yeovil Town


Has the national league ever had so many 'big' clubs competing in one season? I suspect Stockport, Notts County, Wrexham, Grimsby and Torquay to be well up there. No doubt some tinpotters like Boreham Wood, Eastleigh and Bromley will aim to make life difficult for us as well.

Dover have to be the favourites for the drop, and you'd expect the likes of King's Lynn, Weymouth, Woking and Wealdstone to be down there. I just cannot see Barnet repeating their woeful season next time out, so I reckon it's mid table for them.

 

[jacobncfc]

I think Notts and Stockport will likely start as favourites (again), probably joined by Wrexham although there’s more work to do there with no manager and a weaker squad currently.

Grimsby look well placed to challenge I think, Southend seem to have all of the hallmarks of a relegated team that’s going to bomb. Chesterfield should be decent, Torquay have a bit of a rebuilding job I think but Johnson is good enough to do it for them. Dagenham should be much better after their strong end to the season.

Ardley is a smart appointment for Solihull as well. I’d expect them to be proper play-off challengers this season.

 

[chief]

Good shouts all around there, Dagenham surely will have a good go at it this time and Chesterfield have Rowe playing for them. Southend almost certainly going to bomb in my opinion, and I cannot wait for this post to be picked up after the season has finished and Southend have cruised it with 120 points.

 

[nuffsaid]

I think Notts and Stockport will likely start as favourites (again), probably joined by Wrexham although there’s more work to do there with no manager and a weaker squad currently.

Grimsby look well placed to challenge I think, Southend seem to have all of the hallmarks of a relegated team that’s going to bomb. Chesterfield should be decent, Torquay have a bit of a rebuilding job I think but Johnson is good enough to do it for them. Dagenham should be much better after their strong end to the season.

Ardley is a smart appointment for Solihull as well. I’d expect them to be proper play-off challengers this season.

(Whether we deserve it is a different matter) but personally I think that we (Stockport) will be quite a short priced favourite with the bookies (3/1 tops) - the bookies know that a) we have the money and b) are prepared to spend it.

 

[GEORGE]

I'm not so sure regarding Southend. I reckon they could have a good season.

 

[Aberstone]

We're going to piss this tinpot (M25) league...

Agreed that Barnet will sort themselves out over the summer, as will Woking who have recruited well and going full time will drag them away from the mire. Ideally we could do with clubs like Aldershot, Eastleigh and Maidenhead being dragged into any relegation mix. I said last season I'd take 20th and I'll say the same again this season, we just need to build the foundations to then kick on in a year or two's time.

Southend will do better than those tipping that they'll bomb, in fact I'll go as far as to say that either them or Grimsby will go back up at the first time of asking. It's proper dog eat dog at the top as you could make the case for a good 7-8 clubs winning the league.

 

[chief]

My stupid-time-to-be-making-a-prediction-no-one-has-signed-anyone-yet-it-is-too-early prediction:

1. Stockport
2. Wrexham
3. Notts County
4. Grimsby
5. Torquay
6. Dagenham & Redbridge
7. Solihull
8. Chesterfield
9. Boreham Wood
10. Bromley
11. Southend
12. Eastleigh
13. Halifax
14. Yeovil
15. Aldershot
16. Maidenhead
17. Barnet
18. Woking
19. Wealdstone
20. Altrincham
21. Weymouth
22. Dover
23. King's Lynn

 

[OneDecentLester]

Got the makings of a brilliant league next season. The amount of big clubs competing makes it easy to blank out the fact we’re all still non league, love it

 

[Chief Rocka]

This is a horrible league next year, no fresh faced tinpotters coming up from below makes things even tougher for a lot of teams, Stockport obvious fav's for me, Wrexham although there's been no movement on or off the pitch are going to be up there, Notts have their spreadsheets and will be signing half of eastern Europe and Chesterfield have already signed well.

 

[jacobncfc]

This is a horrible league next year, no fresh faced tinpotters coming up from below makes things even tougher for a lot of teams, Stockport obvious fav's for me, Wrexham although there's been no movement on or off the pitch are going to be up there, Notts have their spreadsheets and will be signing half of eastern Europe and Chesterfield have already signed well.

Hartlepool’s Tory government has banned us from signing our random foreigners now.

We’ve had to recalibrate the model to look at the league we’re actually in..

 

[Gladders]

My stupid-time-to-be-making-a-prediction-no-one-has-signed-anyone-yet-it-is-too-early prediction:

1. Stockport
2. Wrexham
3. Notts County
4. Grimsby
5. Torquay
6. Dagenham & Redbridge
7. Solihull
8. Chesterfield
9. Boreham Wood
10. Bromley
11. Southend
12. Eastleigh
13. Halifax
14. Yeovil
15. Aldershot
16. Maidenhead
17. Barnet
18. Woking
19. Wealdstone
20. Altrincham
21. Weymouth
22. Dover
23. King's Lynn

Wrong thread.

As for us, I'll be disappointed if we don't at least make the play offs. We know how hard this league is and don't expect to walk it. But we are much better prepared than last time we came down.

We have a new board, restructuring both in non playing staff and infrastructure, new fan optimism, a manager that not only knows non league but got promoted from it. A few decent signings already, and the backing to sign a few more.

Only thing for me so far is we still have a few under contract from last season I'd like to see gone.

Going to be difficult but I think top 7 should be achievable.

 

[chief]

Wrong thread.

Eh?

Edit: Never mind, just seen a prediction thread was made 52 years ago. Ah well, I'll keep mine in here.

 

[doveranddover]

If anyone finishes below Dover with £41.6k fine to pay & 12 points to make up, then they are going to be one of the worst teams in history.

 

[Aberstone]

If anyone finishes below Dover with £41.6k fine to pay & 12 points to make up, then they are going to be one of the worst teams in history.

Speak to some of our lot, they’ll think it’s an inevitability.

Please let away fans back next year, obviously all the away days I’ve yet to do are high on the agenda but we could make some serious cash money from a routinely full away end.

 

[nuffsaid]

If anyone finishes below Dover with £41.6k fine to pay & 12 points to make up, then they are going to be one of the worst teams in history.

Do you think that you'll definitely be starting and more important finishing the season? We don't want you beating Notts County again and then having the game scrubbed - it may really matter this time around.

 

[Stocky]

I don't mind this league. If it was run more competently it would be better. Maybe I just have more perspective after spending so long in the North. We all want promotion but League Two isn't that exciting. Enjoy the moment.

Re: us. We really should be focused on going one better. We do have nucelus and we will probably look to add to it. Question marks of the Director of Football and Manager remain. No guarentees at all. But we really should be up there, I thought last season was just a season too early- just never fancied us from the start. We went from having a hybrid set up to one of the biggest spenders in the division in one swoop, not a seamless transition.

 

[jacobncfc]

I don't mind this league. If it was run more competently it would be better. Maybe I just have more perspective after spending so long in the North. We all want promotion but League Two isn't that exciting. Enjoy the moment.

Re: us. We really should be focused on going one better. We do have nucelus and we will probably look to add to it. Question marks of the Director of Football and Manager remain. No guarentees at all. But we really should be up there, I thought last season was just a season too early- just never fancied us from the start. We went from having a hybrid set up to one of the biggest spenders in the division in one swoop, not a seamless transition.

There’s no point in it all if you don’t want to do as well as possible, but the entertainment value at this level, in everything from the off the field chaos to the matches to this bloody forum, is much better than League Two.

 

[doveranddover]

Do you think that you'll definitely be starting and more important finishing the season? We don't want you beating Notts County again and then having the game scrubbed - it may really matter this time around.

I do expect us to finish next season, as long as fans are let in, which I assume is definite.

 

[John Still]

Season after season this league becomes more unpredictable, teams like Sutton emerge from nowhere to upset the fancied sides. Until teams have sorted their squads it’s even harder to predict. Coming into new money is never a given at this level and you only have to look at us and how dreadful it’s been spent the last two seasons. I reckon three maybe four will gate crash the top seven that were not in it this season with only Stockport and Chesterfield the givens for top 7 as it stands.

 

[nuffsaid]

Leaving us out but this is how I've ordered the rest of you:

1. Torquay
2. Notts County
3. Dagenham & Redbridge
4. Grimsby
5. Wrexham
6. Chesterfield
7. Bromley
8. Woking
9. Boreham Wood
10. Halifax
11. Aldershot
12. Yeovil
13. Barnet
14. Southend
15. Solihull
16. Maidenhead
17. Altrincham
18. Eastleigh
19. Wealdstone
20. Weymouth
21. King's Lynn
22. Dover

 

[TheShayWay]

I'm sure by the start of the season we will have a team. But for now we've lost our 2 best players. With our top striker linked with Southend. Think we have 6 players at the minute.

We stick to our word at Halifax. Gaffer gave the squad 7 to 10 days to decide on accepting an offer on the table so naturally 3 weeks later it's been radio silence. Bar the keeper signing on

 

[Master D]

7 Brothers. It’ll be very competitive.

 

[Stocky]

There’s no point in it all if you don’t want to do as well as possible, but the entertainment value at this level, in everything from the off the field chaos to the matches to this bloody forum, is much better than League Two.

It's human nature to always want to go higher, the football pyramid is designed for it. When you're in League Two, you'd be desperate to go to League One. It's the winning what people want though. Going for promotion in this league is more fun than being near the bottom of League's 1 or 2. This is a competitive league. I would like 2 up automatically, 1 play-offs though. That extra fluidity up and down would enhance it, I'm not just saying that from a "we want as much chance to go up" view point.

 

[Son of Cod]

Wrong thread.

As for us, I'll be disappointed if we don't at least make the play offs. We know how hard this league is and don't expect to walk it. But we are much better prepared than last time we came down.

We have a new board, restructuring both in non playing staff and infrastructure, new fan optimism, a manager that not only knows non league but got promoted from it. A few decent signings already, and the backing to sign a few more.

Only thing for me so far is we still have a few under contract from last season I'd like to see gone.

Going to be difficult but I think top 7 should be achievable.

Yep, yep, yep. Fully expecting a playoff bash first time round this time. We've made early positive signings and I think Hurst will have them fit, well drilled and organised from the off. My concerns are kind of around those stragglers we've still got on the books from Holloway's tenure and how we're going to get rid of them. It'll be expensive to release them all, but I'm kind of hoping we just swallow that and re-build. That would signal a big turnover of playing personnel and it might take them a bit of gelling before we're firing. We need to get some decent firepower in though, as we're lacking in that department.

 

[GTFCfish]

I am also hoping for and expecting a play off place this season, only problem is if we’re not 10 points clear at the top by Christmas some of our fans will already be calling for Hurst’s head.
For me surely Wrexham will be the bookies favourites with the wedge behind them closely followed by Stockport?

 

[TheShayWay]

I am also hoping for and expecting a play off place this season, only problem is if we’re not 10 points clear at the top by Christmas some of our fans will already be calling for Hurst’s head.
For me surely Wrexham will be the bookies favourites with the wedge behind them closely followed by Stockport?

Get out after 1 season? You've been here before you know the rules. 3 season minimum isnt it?

 

[Gladders]

Get out after 1 season? You've been here before you know the rules. 3 season minimum isnt it?

Tell Cheltenham and Bristol Rovers that

 

[TheShayWay]

Tell Cheltenham and Bristol Rovers that

It's not a very high success rate is it. Chemtenhem the only side to go up automatically aswell. I'll rephrase. Chances are if you come down you ain't going straight back up again.

 

[Shrimper_95]

Anything other than challenging for promotion is going to be a failure.

 

[GTFCfish]

Get out after 1 season? You've been here before you know the rules. 3 season minimum isnt it?

Correct that’s why I said I’m hoping for the play offs.
I don’t expect us to win the league but a lot of our fans will.