I don't think Scunny will be up there but hard to ignore FGR, York, Rochdale and possibly Carlisle but they've not played anyone with a pulse yet. Rest of the top 7 is up for grabs. You'd have Southend in so 2/3 spots I'd say. Couple have mentioned us. We're not in this conversation until we get two more attacking players in. We've played 3 of the current top 7 and come out with 2 draws (one with 10 men for an hour) and a narrow defeat. Two aways and one home. Competitive but not there yet in an attacking sense for me.
Out of the 5 teams people have mentioned we have the smallest budget, which may hurt us if we need reinforcements
I’m fuming with Maynard on his home debut. Should be home end signing and taking selfies, waiting for club to release XG and enters into box etc.
He's not famous, that's why. No one wants a selfie with some nobody. Celebrity managers are clearly the best way forward. You missed a trick not appointing one.
All the divisions massive cvnts in recent past and present like Uggla, Savage have given Pools a lot of love. Andy Woodman another as well, loved us. I even asked him at the game at FT if he'd like to manage us after they gubbed us 4-1 at the Vic and he said in a shot. Doubt he would now though.
Pretty much most of us at Carlisle are still only looking at the play offs and not the title if we can grab anywhere in the top 7 they will be happy enough this season and moreso think we’d have a great chance because morale would be very high going into them. we are still a work in progress, working out the best starting 11, raising morale of players who had morale and confidence destroyed part season, rooting out the mistakes and errors……..it’s getting there we can click big time one week and not the next, we are also now looking at the right additions than adding anyone whose available. but think Rochdale and York have more settled set ups which will make them both hard to keep up with
Unpopular Stocky opinion of the day. Robbie Savage is actually alright. Got his hands dirty at Macc, doing the same at Forest Green, speaks well about the levels of football and actually proving in quite a small sample, that he's not a bad manager at all. I could imagine players playing for him and his confident style would brush off on most players in a positive way. Be interesting to see how he does over the season.
Yeah loads. From Covid to the season when Chesterfield left, it was as good as it as ever been on the pitch and off the pitch. When TNT/BT pulled out and a lot of the big teams left, the quality has reduced on and off the pitch. Feels more like the Blue Square again down here these days. It's a great opportunity for teams who can get their shit together though.
The issue with Savage is we have yet to see his management to problems and issues and that is going to be the test for whether FGR can challenge for the title or not…..that could be their stumbling block Rochdale have a manager happy to flog games or take enormous stupid gambles when not needed…..that could be their stumbling block York have the most pressure to deliver of all the sides, people say Carlisle have as much but I think there is a collective view it may be next season than this, York are on their ‘next season’ and have to deliver it….pressure could be their stumbling block Carlisle isn’t a finished article and have to rely on players who failed miserably last season who are tied on contracts unable to be replaced, plus have a manager never able to get a promotion…….that is their stumbling block Southend can play well but don’t score enough for the chances they make…..that could be their stumbling block block Hartlepool just are not scoring enough goals simple as that is their stumbling block borham wood and Scunny have been the most impressive for me in the highlights both seem to attack with energy and movement, but are both still having fall-over from a promotion buzz or improved to challenge, can sometimes carry on, Tamworth did in national north couple of years back when we kept saying they will collapse and never did but the majority of promoted sides start well then fall over time. don’t think it’s a poor group just a group with some flaws if that side handles it well any could push top and the flaws do open for another side maybe Altrincham there who I have to give credit to in way they lost so much talent yet bounced back strong, Wealdstone have also started superbly but think size of squad and lack of budget will start dragging them
oh there was definitely still people saying the quality was the worst it's ever been then as well. It's very early days but the top 7 is pretty much who everyone would expect to finish there(maybe not BW) maybe it's alarming for the rest of the clubs that those clubs have already taken up those positions and there could be a gap? Unsure myself. Some of the sides outside the top 7 we've played have been bad but was certainly impressed with Wealdstone
Yep, was highly dubious, smacked of celeb appointment a la Deeney but he's won me round. Players clearly respond, style is entertaining and he speaks well (and respectfully about oppo etc) and honestly. As a later poster says, see how he handles adversity, but our local paper is already going on about higher level interest.
I get what you're saying, and I am certainly in the camp of expecting nothing this season, but a lot of fans expect us to go straight back up - I hear it at Brunton Park. And I think there will certainly be huge pressure from within, from the owners, given the wage bill and cost of this squad. There are still a lot of players on thousands and thousands of pounds a week, some still on good League One contracts.
More often than not,I’ll listen to the opposition managers post match interviews & i thought Savage came over quite well after the Pools game. Nice & balanced,even admitted we should have equalised,when most wouldn’t have even mentioned it.
I know the Braintree fans that came into contact with him were complimentary about savage. He even suggested that they should maybe have won the game. their point against FGR looks a good one, but they have had some bad ones since and the Tamworth defeat looks like it could be a costly one for them.
