League 1, League 2, National League and beyond 2021/22

[neoELITE]

A new season is rapidly approaching so here's the thread for the upcoming season of the mediocre teams.

 

New to the League 1 and below supporter pool are Sheffield Wednesday, any Owls on the forum?  This is the place to bemoan how awful it is to be playing Morecombe on a wet Tuesday night. 

 

I've added the usual poll.

 

In your first post, it would be good to let us know who you support and how you think you'll fair.  Also, a player to watch this season.

 

I'm a Plymouth Argyle fan.  I was 50/50 last season, at times hopeful, at times in despair.  We had some cracking results and some dire ones (losing to Northampton was a nadir).  I watched every single game through iPlayer and the FA Player (a single FA Cup over Charlton) and it wasn't nearly as much fun as sitting in my seat tutting and moaning about linesmen.  The end of our season was dire as we were pretty much safe and a lot of the loanees seemed to down tools with 6 or 7 games left.

I have bought my season ticket.

We'll be pushing for the play offs but won't make it.

 

My one to watch is Niall Ennis, a pacy, skillful, bustling young forward we signed from Wolves last season.  He's probably going to settle this year and become a real asset.  We've not had a striker like him for years.

 

Good luck for 21/22

 

[Cosmic_Guru]

Sutton Utd here.  Now a member of League 2 and probably the only club in the land paying any attention to the upcoming Pappa John's Trophy draw.  I reckon we will be OK but won't set the league alight - I can't imagine the football quality is way ahead of National League.  Squad wise our top striker Isaac Olaofe has returned to parent club Millwall, but we have signed Donovan Wilson who chipped in with some goals at a critical time in the season.  We have released all the fringe players and young lads who spent last season out on loan.  I guess that frees funds for one or maybe two targets as the club juggles the new financial equation.  The spine of the club - Dean Bouzanis keeper, Louis John at CB, "Gooner" Eastmond DM, Omar Bugiel CF and Harry Beautyman as #10 is intact.  There is quite a  bit of L1 and L2 experience in the group mixed in with the youngsters and National League journeymen.

Season ticket purchased -  big hike up for adults as you would expect, but still really cheap or free for youngsters.  I now qualify for   (amazingly). Not sure if we will have to start the season elsewhere with all the work going on at the ground.

[Fatsam]

Should be a fun season following Wrexham.

 

Similar to you neoElite, I think I watched all but two of our games last season, which is unprecedented, but it's just not the same on a screen. I had no team and casually watched a bit on TV before I first went to watch us aged 19 and live football blew my mind. It's a completely different experience. And living away from Wrexham,  as I do now, football is my only link to the town. The only reason I go back, the reason I see old school mates so frequently. The last year has hammered that feeling home.  I'm desperate to get back supporting us in person. 

 

No new manager or players yet, but what's happened so far is a building up of the things around the football club and emergence of some kind of sustainable long term planning. Part of that is appointing Les Reed as an "advisor to create a football strategy", who Southampton fans appear to have mixed views on, but certainly has a ridiculous amount of experience at all levels in the game (last role Technical Director of the FA)  for a conference side to be drawing on. Our better players have re-signed with the obvious exception of our captain Shaun Pearson who has gone back to Grimsby. He's in his declining years, but I'm gutted to see him leave because he's a lovely man and a leader. His wife's family live up there, they are expecting another child, and they offered him a longer deal so it was an easy choice for him. Makes it feel even more like we are entering a new era though seeing such a big presence over the last 4 years leave. 

 

We've retained one or two decent attacking players, but the one to watch next season will be midfielder Jordan Davies who came though our youth ranks, was poached by Brighton, and then returned to us last summer. Technically very good with an eye for goal, who began to really assert himself towards the end of his first season in mens football.

 

The first series of the Wrexham documentary will be on Disney+ in 2022 and we're off to America to play Philadelphia Union in front of Danny DeVito next month. Nothing unusual about any of that.

 

Good luck everyone!

[Cosmic_Guru]

Drawn away to Cardiff  City in the Cup ,  but some tasty Rllmuk and geographical derbies in our Pappa John's group - Portsmouth, AFC Wimbledon and Palace youth.

[merman]

Ipswich Town fan.

Ed Sheeran sponsorship.

Dumping most of last season’s squad.

We’ll be lucky to make the playoffs.

[neoELITE]

11 hours ago, merman said:

Ipswich Town fan.

Ed Sheeran sponsorship.

Dumping most of last season’s squad.

We’ll be lucky to make the playoffs.

 

We signed James Wilson from you. What's he like? He must have impressed our manager as he's quite a lot older than our usual signings. 

[RareBirds]

Also Ipswich. Long-time season ticket holder (whatever that means these days - got to see one game live last season although IPlayer meant I watched all the games).

 

I think we'll go up - there's been something rotten at Ipswich for absolutely ages. For a long time we've been really bad at playing football - the standard of play and just basic things like passing and moving have been beyond us. I'm hoping that Paul Cook's purge of the squad and the takeover and everything else will be the change we need to actually be fun to watch again. 

 

Player to watch - merman isn't exaggerating above when he said "Dumping most of last season's squad", we've got rid or are trying to get rid of about 90% of the squad. However, the one player who came out and said he'd fight for his place in the team and has just been promoted to train with the first team squad is Armando Dobra. I love him to bits - he's the perfect blend of skill and short fuse. If he gets fouled then you know that a short while later he will be seeking retribution in a none-too-subtle way. We were bloody awful last season and Dobra is the only player that I'd want to keep so I'm very pleased it looks like he'll be here. We'll probably sell him next week. 

 

 

RE: James Wilson - solid defender, no nonsense, low risk, put it into touch style player. He will not be playing it around at the back. Last season he was injured a bit, only played 18 games and somehow got Player of the Year. I think there was an element of his reputation rising through absence - as he didn't play that much he wasn't as awful as most of the rest of them. If he can stay injury-free then he's a handy player to have in the squad but I wouldn't get too excited about him. 

[Cosmic_Guru]

Phew, worried that  I spoke too soon in my prior posting  (based soley on the news of departures), but now it's  confirmed that all key personnel from last season are signed up.  News of new signings imminent as the players return to training tomorrow (? Location).

[wev]

On 26/06/2021 at 19:47, merman said:

Ipswich Town fan.

Ed Sheeran sponsorship.

Dumping most of last season’s squad.

We’ll be lucky to make the playoffs.

Notts County fan here.

I think they have Jake Bugg sponsorship, who kind of wishes he had the talent of Bob Dylan and the commercial success of Ed Sheeran.

 

[Cosmic_Guru]

New signings announced,

Joe Kizzi, 28 year old defender from Bromley

Ricky Korboaz, 24 year old striker / left winger from Northants (and formerly of near neighbours Carshalton Athletic)

Alistair Smith, 22 midfielder from Mansfield,  via Altrincham.

Not sure any of these will supplant the established first XI  more likely back ups.

Actually Ricky might have the best shot, being a positional replacement for Olaofe.

 

I guess that's it now and we can have a good pre-season before KO v Forest Green Rovers.  Quite noticeable that L2 fixtures are much more spread out throughout the season rather than the craziness of NL in August & September. 

Edited July 3, 2021 by Cosmic_Guru

[Butters]

Phil Parkinson the new Wrexham manager. Thoughts @Fatsam?

[wev]

Notts County have retained Adam Chicksen and signed Kyle Cameron from Torquay so fingers crossed they have a stronger back line for the new season

[Fatsam]

19 hours ago, Butters said:

Phil Parkinson the new Wrexham manager. Thoughts @Fatsam?

 

Seems to do really well at every other club he manages, getting three different sides promoted. Sunderland fans think he was fucking awful and rightly sacked, but they gave him the job for good reason, he did brilliantly well at Bolton and Bradford. I'm willing to believe he could do the same with us. He doesn't exactly have a reputation for playing  great football though, like our last manager. I think most Wrexham fans were ready for someone with a little bit more focus on entertainment, but then obviously if that style of football gets us competing at the top and ultimately promoted then nobody is going to be moaning.

 

You'd also think Parkinson would only drop down a division or two to manage a side if he knows he is going to be backed. So in that sense, I'm further excited to see the players who we are going to bring in to do TikToks for our new club account and play the odd game of football.

 

 

Spoiler

 

I think this means Donald Trump is banned from the Racecourse.

[wev]

Another new face arrives at Meadow Lane

 

https://www.nottscountyfc.co.uk/news/2021/july/frank-vincent-signs-020721/

[merman]

Derby cleared to stay in the Championship over financial irregularities - if they re-submit their accounts for 2016, 2017 and 2018 by mid-August. Means Wycombe stay in League One.

[neoELITE]

 

I like our away kit this season. It's a take on the 1970s kit we had. 

 

 

[Cosmic_Guru]

2 hours ago, neoELITE said:

 

I like our away kit this season. It's a take on the 1970s kit we had. 

 

 

Very tasty.

[neoELITE]

I'm not a fan of Ginsters pasties. They have puff pastry for a start but they're the worst "Cornish" pasty by far. They don't sell them anywhere apart from in fridge sections in shops but they're a big company just over the river in Cornwall and they're not a betting company.

 

[wev]

Another defender in at Notts County

 

And Ian Burchnall wants "four or five more" new faces

[neoELITE]

I watched a 1-1 draw against Bristol Rovers yesterday. Two penalties. It was quite dreadful but then, it was a friendly. Rovers didn't look good at all. 

[Angles Morts]

I'm a Wimbledon fan, don't live locally so have to choose my matches.

 

Last night we played 2 pre-season friendlies at the same time, I think for the reason that some of the lads who would be on loan haven't played much die to interrupted seasons in the lower leagues.

 

The new stadium looks really nice but the test events required to get a safety certificate have been disrupted by COVID. The next one we need to find 4000 people to sit in the main stand against Scunthorpe. I'd love to do it because I doubt I'd get to sit there normally but sadly am already busy that weekend.

If anyone is local then tickets are free https://www.afcwimbledon.co.uk/news/2021/july/scunthorpe-tickets-now-available/

 

 

 

[Cosmic_Guru]

Making the national press...

 

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/jul/22/sutton-get-ready-for-first-shot-at-the-big-time-league-two-promoted

[neoELITE]

Wrexham have signed the League 2 top scorer and player of the year Paul Mullin. 

https://www.thenonleaguefootballpaper.com/latest-news/step-1/national-league/394220/wrexham-complete-signing-of-league-two-player-of-the-year-paul-mullin/

 

Annoying as he had been linked with us. He's 26. I think that cash is being splashed. Turning down League 1 for the National League would not have come cheap.

[Fatsam]

Ridiculous signing for non league isn't it? 

 

Our previous ones this window had been good but modest. Forward McAlinden who contributed to Morcambes promotion, but wasn't a regular starter for them. Experienced centre back Brisley who has played all his career in the league, but had been released by Port Vale and is the kind of player we've been picking up in the past. And experienced striker Jake Hyde from Halifax who has had a great scoring record in the last couple of seasons, but can be hit and miss. We also signed centre back Lennon from Southend, but he's barely played any games due to injury and their fans seem happy he has gone.

 

We've clearly thrown loads of money at Mullin though. He should be playing in League One next season. We're getting him at what should be the peak of his career. Apparently he was keen to get back to a club close to Liverpool if he could, so that will have been a factor. But it will mostly be money.

 

The question now is. Have we got more signings of this level coming in? And if yes, then how many? Midfield is the area we need to improve on most, a player who can control the game. And we could do with a commanding vocal organiser at the back too. Any Plymouth targets we could nab that fit that description?

[neoELITE]

We just signed Ryan Broom from Peterborough on a season long loan.  Every time he's played against us, he's scored.  I feel like putting a slab of cash on him not scoring a goal all season for us as that's the way it goes.

 

Watched the full 90mins of our friendly against Bristol City during the week.  We lost 0-1 but it was a really entertaining game where both sides put out what is likely their starting 11s. We held our own and dominated large parts of the game - we really should have scored at least one.  I'm fairly optimistic now as the defence has been completely replaced from last season (we shipped 80+ goals).  We've gone for experience and League 1 pedigree in a back 3 and I was impressed.  Most fans focus on attacking players but I am the opposite - I always think a 0-0 or a 0-1 away from home in a league game is better than an exciting 4-3 with the chance to win the odd game by scoring lots of goals.  We have a solid foundation. 

 

Just over a week to go 🪃👺🎊

 

What the hell are these emoji things all about?!??!!!!

 

[neoELITE]

I thought I was a misanthropic football supporter. This is our largest fan forum.

 

 

 

 

 

Our fans are generally awful. Get it up there! Have a shot!

 

We're doomed!

 

Oh, we scored. The guy who posted the grumpy narrative claims the goal was offside. 

 

I don't bother posting in football forums.

[Angles Morts]

You're not relegation favourites though, you're 5th, behind us in 4th!

 

Our pre-season has been terrible, our only win was against Metropolitan Police (4 tiers lower), last match was a lost against Scunthorpe (next tier down). We'll really struggle to replace Joe Piggot's 20 goals.

 

I am really looking forwards to the first match in New Plough Lane though.

[Cosmic_Guru]

In totally unsurprising news, and to allow the grass more time, our first two scheduled home league fixtures have been switched over.  Hope we don't get walloped too heavily in these initial fixtures, but at least we don't have to ground share.  Should we beat Cardiff however, we would be happy to act as hosts 

Totally chilled at present - this would do fine (from When Saturday Comes fan predictions).

 

[grounded_dreams]

1 hour ago, Cosmic_Guru said:

In totally unsurprising news, and to allow the grass more time, our first two scheduled home league fixtures have been switched over.  Hope we don't get walloped too heavily in these initial fixtures, but at least we don't have to ground share.  Should we beat Cardiff however, we would be happy to act as hosts 

Totally chilled at present - this would do fine (from When Saturday Comes fan predictions).

 

 

Does the magazine also show predictions for National League as well? Be interested (or scared) to see how long my club Southend United are predicted

after being relegated to this league.

Don't have a good feeling for this upcoming season.

[neoELITE]

Swindon are in an utter mess right now. If that doesn't change, they're in trouble. They're signing some players but they've basically got no money. I'd also expect one of Northampton and Bristol Rovers to struggle too. Probably Rovers.

I think Sutton should be OK. There isn't a big leap between the league's any more.

League 2 to 1 is a big jump but not between the National League and 2. A lot of that League includes recent-ish "non-League" clubs.