Whoaaaaa we're halfway there.....

[CrazyImp]

....and in the case of Yellow and Swedes, you're most definitely living on a prayer, to quote famous philosopher Jon Bon Jovi.

Now that the majority of sides have reached the 23-game mark, come and sit on CrazyImp's sofa, talk to me about your season non-league forum. Are you as a high as an MDMA kite, or should your manager be given a public flogging in the stocks, with rancid cabbage and carrots?

We have 40 points - same again should see us over the line, but I don't think we'll do it, a placing between 7-10 is more likely I reckon. Especially now that snotsack Hearn has left us short for an entire month, we have to play Alan fucking Power as a second striker (shoot me).

Anyway, spill your emotions. I'll allow some tears, just don't go Charlie Sheen on us all if you're a Cheltenham fan....#winning

 

[Dan_Macclad]

We are fucking flying.. More of the same please.

 

[B2TF]

We're half way to our first objective. Same again second half of the season and it's job done.
FCHT - National League North Champions 2016/17.

 

[The_Boss]

We are fucking flying.. More of the same please.

We're making progress, nothing more. Our slow start means we need to pick up circa 43 points to guarantee a PO spot. I think we'll fall just short again and have to rebuild all over again.

 

[Greenacres]

I am satisfied.

We have more points (nine) than at this stage last season, we are higher up the table (second rather than ninth), we win more games than we draw, the football is more entertaining, attendances are up...what is not to like?

 

[PaulHaddock]

2 more points, 5 better goal difference and less defeats. An improvement on last year but the bad thing is that there are two teams above us now, not just one. If we can kick on properly after Christmas like last year, we could win the league, providing FGR and Cheltenham don't do the same.

 

[SomeMightShay]

It's been bloody painful. But after a few years of that weird feeling that success brings, it is comforting to be back in the familiar routine of being a laughing stock, pitiful crowds, relehation battles and a sense of 'oh god not this again' everyvrime i walk through the turnstiles. Just like a proper Shayman should feel.

 

[Semi-skimmed Silk]

We're making progress, nothing more. Our slow start means we need to pick up circa 43 points to guarantee a PO spot. I think we'll fall just short again and have to rebuild all over again.

We are playing well now but will live to regret 2 points from the 4 home games vs Southport, Barrow, Chester and Boreham Wood.

 

[The_Boss]

We are playing well now but will live to regret 2 points from the 4 home games vs Southport, Barrow, Chester and Boreham Wood.

Correct.

 

[GuiseleySteve]

Much better than i feared pre-season, personnel improved and performances improving almost every week. More to come from us too I'm sure. We'll still occasionally get dicked by the better teams but we'll also convert more games from draws to wins than we have in the first half of the season. Would love to see Anthony Dudley and Ollie Norburn stay with us to the end of the season and who knows - Olli Johnson might even overcome injury at some point and play a part!

 

[FGRJC]

Very happy, feel we could and should of beat Cheltenham twice, we've been through our injury period, Cheltenham haven't. So let's see what the Christmas time brings, I feel we have the much stronger squad.

But couldn't of asked for better. Elliot frear has been amazing, our midfield is solid as is our defence now. Very confident moving forward.

 

[MTFC_07]

We are playing well now but will live to regret 2 points from the 4 home games vs Southport, Barrow, Chester and Boreham Wood.

To be fair, I think Chester did us a massive favour with those two last minute goals which in my opinion changed our season. Even if it took us a few more games to start gaining lots of points, we started to play well each game after that.

 

[Railway Blue]

We are playing well now but will live to regret 2 points from the 4 home games vs Southport, Barrow, Chester and Boreham Wood.

I'm sure you'll get your revenge end December.

 

[Luke Imp]

No idea how we're 4th, and that's also with dropping really, really sloppy points - last Wednesday, yesterday, Welling away, Alty at home. It's actually the lesser sides we've dropped the most points against I think but that's because we're not really a side who is going to break a side down.

Pleased, though, obviously. I had us down as 9th and I'll stick to that for the time being. With Hearn leaving us in the shit, we now only have 2 senior strikers for 6 games or so.

I think it'll be a big ask for PO's at the end of the season and if we are, we'll be fighting for the final PO spot because I expect the Top 4 to be, in one order or another, Cheltenham, FGR, Grimsby and Eastleigh. Just need a little bit more of something in the side in January if we can get it, particularly up front but possibly in central midfield, too. We're a case of 'whole being greater than sum of its parts'.

 

[Sparrow]

19 points more and we're safe. That tells you a lot about our season. Strongly believe we'd be around/amongst the top 5 had Scott Rendell and Ismail Yakubu not suffered season long injuries within the first seven games. Add to that both Mark Ricketts and Kieran Murtagh being injured for a fair amount of time.

What is apparent, at this half-way stage, is how poor the standard of the league is this year. Amazing how we're 13th and comfortably mid-table given our horrendous injury luck.

Hopes for the rest of the season - a comfortable mid-table/top-half finish with a bit of a run in the FA Trophy.

 

[EnglishRed]

A marked improvement in the quality if our football, and some great signings (Vose well on his way to being a cult hero) but the squad is still a little thin in places and we've had some poor results. We threw away the Eastleigh game and even worse didn't turn up against Chester.

A lot of improvement needed. I do think we could sneak into the play offs though. Beat Torquay on Saturday and that's 40 points from 23, and what's more a very healthy goal difference.

 

[The_Boss]

What's that? Woking have had a few injuries? Never knew.

 

[eightiesrobin]

2 points fewer than at the same stage last season. Fewer goals scored, fewer conceded (just), fewer players in the squad. The games aren't exactly fun to watch, but they have their moments, and still in the cup and trophy. Not entirely convinced we will survive.

 

[BarnwoodCTFC]

Happy so far, Gary Johnson wanted us top before Christmas and we've done that earlier than expected. It will be tough but there is absolutely no reason we cannot go on and win the league from here.

 

[Chris FGR]

Happy enough, we're in the mix. Need to kick on now, we've got a real chance this time.

 

[Andy Harrier]

Miserable is probably the best word to describe our season so far. It's difficult to compare though, because of the team that started against Grimsby in August, only 4 started yesterday, and all but two others are no longer with the club. It's safe to say our team now is much stronger than the one that started the season.

 

[Si Robin]

We're top.

Not sure it can get much better than that really.

 

[GTFCfish]

We're top.

Not sure it can get much better than that really.

It can get better, you can be top on 30th April......

 

[Joe.]

Good to see you still posting Crazy.

Just under halfway through the season and we're flying. 7 points clear of nearest challengers Maidstone having played a game more than them. Beaten them, Dartford and Margate all away from home along the way too. Lost at home to Maidstone but hey Ho; only lost the two league games (both at home).

Sailed through in the FA Trophy yesterday. Hopefully we give this a go this year, we've got the depth in the squad to challenge the latter stages. My only disappointed was losing at home to Chelmsford in the FA Cup in, and I quote one of their fans, their biggest game for a long time. What the fuck is all that about. Morons.

Squad wise, can't complain really. Matty Godden is on fire and Danny Kedwell, despite not scoring a bucket load, is so, so vital to the team. They're keeping Charlie Sheringham and Adam Cunnington out of the side.

JPK is a little maestro in the middle and is hugely complemented by Dean Rance, Jordan Parkes and Stuart Lewis.

My only disappointment from the squad is young Brandon Hall in goal. Keeps making stupid mistakes. Will cost us a couple of games at some point.

Overall, an 8/10 half to the season for us I'd say.

 

[GTFCfish]

Good to see you still posting Crazy.

Just under halfway through the season and we're flying. 7 points clear of nearest challengers Maidstone having played a game more than them. Beaten them, Dartford and Margate all away from home along the way too. Lost at home to Maidstone but hey Ho; only lost the two league games (both at home).

Sailed through in the FA Trophy yesterday. Hopefully we give this a go this year, we've got the depth in the squad to challenge the latter stages. My only disappointed was losing at home to Chelmsford in the FA Cup in, and I quote one of their fans, their biggest game for a long time. What the fuck is all that about. Morons.

Squad wise, can't complain really. Matty Godden is on fire and Danny Kedwell, despite not scoring a bucket load, is so, so vital to the team. They're keeping Charlie Sheringham and Adam Cunnington out of the side.

JPK is a little maestro in the middle and is hugely complemented by Dean Rance, Jordan Parkes and Stuart Lewis.

My only disappointment from the squad is young Brandon Hall in goal. Keeps making stupid mistakes. Will cost us a couple of games at some point.

Overall, an 8/10 half to the season for us I'd say.

Top by 7 points and you give it 8/10!!
You southerners are so hard to please!

 

[Joe.]

Top by 7 points and you give it 8/10!!
You southerners are so hard to please!

Only be 4 points when Maidstone win their game in hand (1-0 of course) though! Got a nice run over December though so would like to think we can extend the lead!

 

[Pliny Harris]

We need to double our ppg ratio if we DEFINITELY DEFO want to stay up. Delightfully, we've shot two good sides out of the sky recently, and after two months of sheer despair there is hope.

 

[Railway Blue]

I'm glad we've played and beaten Halifax twice because the way we are playing and the way they are playing it wouldn't happen again.

 

[Jemfy]

We're well before the half way point in our league! We've played 16 with the halfway point being 21. Most teams in our league have played 18, so we've lost out a little through fortune in cup runs and one very bizzare match which was abandoned in injury time (no decision from league/FA yet on if it will stand as a draw or be replayed, so counted as not played).

Right now it's been a good start to the first season at step 4 with a strong chance of being in the playoffs. It should be noted however that we are about to play some very hard games, and we've played more home than away (partially due to luck of when the home games were vs cup dates). We do sit in 2nd right now, but I'd still be very happy with a finish anywhere in the top 5.

 

[Monkey Tennis]

We're 14th, which most fans said they'd be happy with at the start of the season. As always, home record is decent, away is dreadful.
I'm sure a lot of teams could say the same, but with the seven points we dropped from games we absolutely dominated (Halifax, Altrincham, Kidderminster - arguably could have had something from Cheltenham too ) we'd be just outside the play-offs, which, when you take into consideration how bad we've been a lot of the time, isn't a bad effort.
Edmondson got sacked not due to league position or results, but performances - I would expect under Cox that we'll move up into the top half by season's end. We've played all the big teams away, and we'll beat one or two of them at home in the second half of the season.
Big January window for us, and a lot of the deadwood will be cleared for new signings. Cox has much better contacts (even if they are all in ex-Mansfield) and has seemingly identified which areas are of most concern.
A run in the trophy would be nice...