Will the NL be tougher or easier next season?

[Yorkshire Blue]

Barnet, Oldham, Daggers, Maidenhead, Fylde and Ebbsfleet have been replaced by
Morecambe, Carlisle, Brackley, Scunthorpe, Truro and Boreham Wood.

Does that make for a tougher division or a slightly easier one?

 

[Supershrimper]

No real difference for me

Barnet = Carlisle
Morecombe = Oldham
Daggers and Maidenhead = Scunthorpe and Boreham Wood
Flyde and Ebbfsleet = Truro and Brackely

Only hope we try and improve our record against Morecombe. Truly are one of our worst bogey teams

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

No real difference for me

Barnet = Carlisle
Morecombe = Oldham
Daggers and Maidenhead = Scunthorpe and Boreham Wood
Flyde and Ebbfsleet = Truro and Brackely

Only hope we try and improve our record against Morecombe. Truly are one of our worst bogey teams

You think Carlisle will get 102 points?

I don’t know much about Morecambe these days but they’ve finished 24th, 15th, 21st L1, 19th L1 the last four seasons. Their owner was late with payments and looking to get out last I heard. They don’t strike me as a club likely to be competing at the top of the table. I think Scunthorpe will be a bigger threat than them.

I had hoped Boreham Wood had changed and would play a more expansive style of football but I see Luke Gerrard is back in charge of them again.

Are Truro and Brackley fill-time? Truro strike me as the sort of club who’ll do ok first season and get relegated second season.

 

[Sensei Phil]

Tough I believe.

FGR, York and Carlisle will spend, and we face some very long trips away, that could play a part in squad tiredness, including Truro and Carlisle. Boreham won't be easy with Luke Garrard back, sending his teams out "to play rugby", as a former player told me he instructs.

 

[Exiled Shrimper]

You think Carlisle will get 102 points?

I don’t know much about Morecambe these days but they’ve finished 24th, 15th, 21st L1, 19th L1 the last four seasons. Their owner was late with payments and looking to get out last I heard. They don’t strike me as a club likely to be competing at the top of the table. I think Scunthorpe will be a bigger threat than them.

I had hoped Boreham Wood had changed and would play a more expansive style of football but I see Luke Gerrard is back in charge of them again.

Are Truro and Brackley fill-time? Truro strike me as the sort of club who’ll do ok first season and get relegated second season.

According to this Guardian article from April, Truro City operated a hybrid model of part- and full-time players this season. Brackey Town were promoted as a part-time outfit.

 

[Smiffy]

I see it as York (should) be runaway Champions like Barnet were.

All the other usual suspects including us, are fighting for the other 6 places.

No real change to the season just gone.

 

[ms brush]

The quality in the NL is getting better and better, and in all honesty the top of the NL is now at least on a par with the top half of league 2. That really surprised me, and I was shocked by the overall high standard when we were relegated, even though I was told that by a good mate who is a Chesterfield fan.

Part of the reason for the standard improving so significantly is that this league is so hard to get promoted out of! This means that 7-8 teams are always vying for top spot, and with only 2 promotion places up for grabs, there is a consistently high standard, as evidenced by the teams who managed to climb out and have found themselves in league 1 pretty quickly. This means that every season in this league is a tough season!

As I see it, there are three options for us:
1 - spend big (unlikely)
2 - Invest wisely and ensure that you have a "together" squad, with strength in depth
3 - Accept your lot, concede it will take a few years and build back slowly

 

[Somerset Ex-TTB]

Morecambe are a financial basket case like we were a few seasons ago.

Carlisle won’t be as strong as Barnet, but then there will be others that might surprise. Yeovil maybe? Hartlepool, Rochdale will both be there or there abouts probably.

Tamworth May get 2nd season syndrome.

I think it will be marginally easier, but still very difficult to win outright!

 

[Rob1920]

I think Carlisle will be strong. Their new owners don’t seem afraid to spend money. They’ll also have big crowds on a par with ours if they’re doing ok. York & FGR will be strong again, plus we have to be in that mix. Halifax & Rochdale I’m sure will be decent again. Those 6 plus one ‘surprise’ package should probably make up the top 7. Scunny, Yeovil maybe. Who knows. I think Morecambe will struggle, they’re in the sort of mess we were in. Could drop straight through. Maybe Gateshead have also shot their bolt now. I can see a top 4, in any order, of us, Carlisle, York & FGR.

 

[TheSouthendUnitedRunner]

You think Carlisle will get 102 points?

I don’t know much about Morecambe these days but they’ve finished 24th, 15th, 21st L1, 19th L1 the last four seasons. Their owner was late with payments and looking to get out last I heard. They don’t strike me as a club likely to be competing at the top of the table. I think Scunthorpe will be a bigger threat than them.

I had hoped Boreham Wood had changed and would play a more expansive style of football but I see Luke Gerrard is back in charge of them again.

Are Truro and Brackley fill-time? Truro strike me as the sort of club who’ll do ok first season and get relegated second season.

And they’ll probably pick up 4 points off us this season.

Morecombe have just been taken over, which is excellent news for their fans.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

I think Carlisle will be strong. Their new owners don’t seem afraid to spend money. They’ll also have big crowds on a par with ours if they’re doing ok. York & FGR will be strong again, plus we have to be in that mix. Halifax & Rochdale I’m sure will be decent again. Those 6 plus one ‘surprise’ package should probably make up the top 7. Scunny, Yeovil maybe. Who knows. I think Morecambe will struggle, they’re in the sort of mess we were in. Could drop straight through. Maybe Gateshead have also shot their bolt now. I can see a top 4, in any order, of us, Carlisle, York & FGR.

I hadn’t realised Carlisle had consecutive relegations.

It’ll be really tough to turn that round in a season. Remember when Kevin Bond was widely mocked for saying it would take 3 transfer windows to turn around the culture. That was actually optimistic. I suppose Forest Green managed it but Cotterill is a much better manager than Sparky.

I thought Halifax looked decent but they seemed to tail off. Will be interesting to see if that was temporary or if that continues next season.

York should be the class of the division but I wouldn’t be that surprised if their owners screw things up. Otherwise I think Rochdale are decent but need more depth. I’d expect Scunthorpe to compete.

 

[Holy Joe]

I think Carlisle will be strong. Their new owners don’t seem afraid to spend money. They’ll also have big crowds on a par with ours if they’re doing ok. York & FGR will be strong again, plus we have to be in that mix. Halifax & Rochdale I’m sure will be decent again. Those 6 plus one ‘surprise’ package should probably make up the top 7. Scunny, Yeovil maybe. Who knows. I think Morecambe will struggle, they’re in the sort of mess we were in. Could drop straight through. Maybe Gateshead have also shot their bolt now. I can see a top 4, in any order, of us, Carlisle, York & FGR.

Yeovil have picked up a rich owner I believe. they've stated there'll be an increase in the playing budget - but no idea what previous or proposed budget is. They've also stated they want to be EFL asap.

 

[Barling Magna]

York should win the League.

Carlisle will do well and be in the play offs, they will also compete with us for highest average attendances.

Morecambe will beat us twice (as usual) but will end up mid table.

Scunthorpe will sneak into the play offs. Halifax won't.

Rochdale and FGR will be strong and end up in the play offs.

We will also be in the play offs and for a while we will be competing at the top with York and FGR. Ending the season fourth.

Truro will surprise everyone and end up mid table. Brackley will struggle.

Borehamwood will win most of their home games on their plastic pitch and will kick their way to away wins. But they will miss out on the play offs.

None of this will happen.

Except York will win the league.

 

[Uncle_Rons_Teapot]

Carlisle under Hughes will do exactly what we did under Brown and that is underestimate this division and find it incredibly tough

Happens to the best of them

 

[NZamba Legend]

Judging York on their last match they have no chance of winning the league. Think they might struggle to repeat last season’s excellent performance. Hard to get that close and go again. We sneaked in, so it was all a bonus really.

 

[SUFCTOM09]

Carlisle under Hughes will do exactly what we did under Brown and that is underestimate this division and find it incredibly tough

Happens to the best of them

Difference is that they have the money and the squad they went down with competed in league two and is already being added to(Linney). May struggle slightly but nowhere near our level

 

[East Devon Shrimper]

Yeovil have picked up a rich owner I believe. they've stated there'll be an increase in the playing budget - but no idea what previous or proposed budget is. They've also stated they want to be EFL asap.

I heard that from an ST holder last week. Rich owner from Dubai apparently, so a statement of intent there to keep an eye on.

 

[davewebbsbrain]

Tough I believe.

FGR, York and Carlisle will spend, and we face some very long trips away, that could play a part in squad tiredness, including Truro and Carlisle. Boreham won't be easy with Luke Garrard back, sending his teams out "to play rugby", as a former player told me he instructs.

Let's not forget that our rivals will also face long away trips, it won't only be us that will have long away trips. Carlisle will have more long away trips than most I should imagine being as high up as they are. The Truro trip for them will be a beast of a journey

 

[Uncle_Rons_Teapot]

Difference is that they have the money and the squad they went down with competed in league two and is already being added to(Linney). May struggle slightly but nowhere near our level

Big difference from competing in league two and being relegated.

There isn't much difference in class between the two divisions

 

[Colchester and proud!]

Let's not forget that our rivals will also face long away trips, it won't only be us that will have long away trips. Carlisle will have more long away trips than most I should imagine being as high up as they are. The Truro trip for them will be a beast of a journey

Yes Truro will have a hell of a lot of travelling to do, this article gives us an insight into those issues, sounds like they want to go full time too. https://www.cornwalllive.com/sport/...s/truro-city-face-english-footballs-10155980#