Early days yet , BUT !!!

[MTFCMusings]

I don’t see the reliance on youth, as some have pointed out. Which youth players are anywhere near the squad at the moment? Stone backup keeper, Clarke 3rd choice RWB, Sketchley 3rd choice LWB, Walker 5th choice CB (I assume we’ll be signing O’Driscoll, so he will be 4th choice), Smith and Sinclair 5th and 6th choice midfielders, Knowles/Scott 5th and 6th choice strikers. I wouldn’t call that a reliance on youth.

You could say we have a much younger squad, but I wouldn’t call them ‘youth’ players.

I would also have thought that Perch will be an option at CB if we were short through injuries and suspensions.

Yep, Perch covers RWB, CB and CM. O’Keefe it sounds like can cover the same positions.

[spanishstag]

GC is giving the young uns a chance to impress,if they fail there will be more signings

[georgefostersbeard]

GC is giving the young uns a chance to impress,if they fail there will be more signings

And I suspect they will go out on loan

[The One]

We are 2/1 to be promoted and 10/1 to win league outright.

[Sedgwick]

I don’t see the reliance on youth, as some have pointed out. Which youth players are anywhere near the squad at the moment? Stone backup keeper, Clarke 3rd choice RWB, Sketchley 3rd choice LWB, Walker 5th choice CB (I assume we’ll be signing O’Driscoll, so he will be 4th choice), Smith and Sinclair 5th and 6th choice midfielders, Knowles/Scott 5th and 6th choice strikers. I wouldn’t call that a reliance on youth.

You could say we have a much younger squad, but I wouldn’t call them ‘youth’ players.

Basically our reserve side is the u23's

[Tippy Tappy Football]

We are 2/1 to be promoted and 10/1 to win league outright.

I would be laying the Stags at those odds. We ought to be around 16/1. Bolton Wanderers, Salford City, Bradford City, Tranmere Rovers, Cheltenham Town, Forest Green Rovers, Exeter City, Port Vale, Walsall and Scunthorpe United ought to be above us in the betting.

[The One]

We are 2/1 to be promoted and 10/1 to win league outright.

I would be laying the Stags at those odds. We ought to be around 16/1. Bolton Wanderers, Salford City, Bradford City, Tranmere Rovers, Cheltenham Town, Forest Green Rovers, Exeter City, Port Vale, Walsall and Scunthorpe United ought to be above us in the betting.

We are third fancied behind Bolton and Salford

[Tippy Tappy Football]

The bookies are reducing our odds due to the JR factor and possibly David Sharpe. We have not really made any big signings....unlike last season when we were 5/1 favourites. I think Lincoln City and Notts County were 10/1 favourites two seasons ago and we were 12/1 or 14/1 under DF. We may also have been 10/1 favourites under Steve Evans.

Grimsby Town were going to have their largest League 2 playing budget this season.

The salary cap should also help teams with smaller budgets to compete if they have a well organised team.

[Stags 2002]

The bookies are reducing our odds due to the JR factor and possibly David Sharpe. We have not really made any big signings....unlike last season when we were 5/1 favourites. I think Lincoln City and Notts County were 10/1 favourites two seasons ago and we were 12/1 or 14/1 under DF. We may also have been 10/1 favourites under Steve Evans.

Grimsby Town were going to have their largest League 2 playing budget this season.

The salary cap should also help teams with smaller budgets to compete if they have a well organised team.

I don't really expect big signings with GC at helm, we've tried signing big players and that hasn't worked. He has a plan in place to build squad that plays for the pride of the shirt instead of a collective of highly paid individuals who are then expected to gel. A different approach and one I hope brings us success.

[MTFCMusings]

We are 2/1 to be promoted and 10/1 to win league outright.

I would be laying the Stags at those odds. We ought to be around 16/1. Bolton Wanderers, Salford City, Bradford City, Tranmere Rovers, Cheltenham Town, Forest Green Rovers, Exeter City, Port Vale, Walsall and Scunthorpe United ought to be above us in the betting.

Walsall and Scunthorpe? On what basis?

[spanishstag]

The bookies are reducing our odds due to the JR factor and possibly David Sharpe. We have not really made any big signings....unlike last season when we were 5/1 favourites. I think Lincoln City and Notts County were 10/1 favourites two seasons ago and we were 12/1 or 14/1 under DF. We may also have been 10/1 favourites under Steve Evans.

Grimsby Town were going to have their largest League 2 playing budget this season.

The salary cap should also help teams with smaller budgets to compete if they have a well organised team.

Never seen a chief executive or chairman
score goals or save them thats why man city are carp

[Tippy Tappy Football]

Stags are 12/1 to win the league and 9/4 for promotion with Betfair. There are some big clubs or clubs with League 1 or higher in the formbook at massive prices. Oldham (a club in chaos) at 60/1 compared to Barrow at 40/1. Orient are the same odds as Barrow. Grimsby and Scunthorpe at 33/1. Harrogate are higher in the betting than all of them. Bradford City at 16/1.

Bookies seem to think Bolton and Salford have two of the three automatic promotion places wrapped up already.

Betfair League 2 Winner 2020/21 (EW Terms 1/4 Odds, 3 Places)
Bolton 11/2
Salford City 13/2
Tranmere 10/1
Mansfield 12/1
Exeter 14/1
Bradford 16/1
Forest Green 16/1
Cheltenham 20/1
Walsall 20/1
Colchester 20/1
Port Vale 20/1
Harrogate Town 30/1
Crawley Town 30/1
Newport County 33/1
Southend 33/1
Grimsby 33/1
Scunthorpe 33/1
Leyton Orient 40/1
Barrow 40/1
Carlisle 40/1
Cambridge Utd 40/1
Oldham 60/1
Stevenage 80/1
Morecambe 175/1

[Tippy Tappy Football]

Betfair - Promotion
Bolton 13/10
Salford City 6/4
Mansfield 9/4
Tranmere 5/2
Bradford 13/5
Exeter 11/4
Forest Green 11/4
Cheltenham 7/2
Port Vale 9/2
Colchester 9/2
Walsall 5/1
Newport County 13/2
Harrogate Town 13/2
Scunthorpe 15/2
Barrow 15/2
Leyton Orient 15/2
Southend 8/1
Carlisle 8/1
Grimsby 10/1
Crawley Town 10/1
Cambridge Utd 11/1
Oldham 11/1
Stevenage 11/1
Morecambe 25/1

[stag324]

I have 4 concerns:

(1) We seem to be relying more on our youth players this season. Whilst some like the idea of playing them, I believe it is a huge risk - on the basis that (with the exception of Sinclair) the youth players are simply not good enough at the moment.

Only time will tell. I think at most 2/3 will be in the match day squad. If we are to build the reputation of our youth set up and get the better players they need to see a route to the first team

(2) We will be playing 3 central defenders at the back, yet we only have 3 recognised centre backs in the squad. No cover for injuries/suspensions. Hopefully the next signings will strengthen this area.

We have strength in depth now

(3) Whilst I like GC and admire his down to earth approach, I am not convinced that he is the right manager to get the club promoted.

Why do think so? He seems to gain respect from players and doesn't like an ego. all the good managers had this approach

(4) We appear to have lost our 'promotion swagger'. I get the impression that we are not in the 'Going for it' category now, and have stepped down to the 'Competing' category. The appointment of Sharpe suggested that the ambition was still there, however the players that we have subsequently released and signed does not give the impression of a promotion team.

Do you mean the players that continually failed us or are carrying injures that we let go? I believe we have a good young squad which come November will start producing the goods

That said, there is one ray of hope: When MTFC dropped the 'arrogant' approach and Paul Cox adopted the 'grafting/honest boys' approach we were more successful. Let's hope the same happens here. (But I am still concerned).

Agreed

At the end of the day, we all have our opinions and want success, god only knows we deserve it after the last few years of HUGE disappointment

[Conker]

Name a club that’s gone up recently in L2 that’s been going on about ‘project promotion’

I personally like the approach of a younger and cheaper squad, the jury is out on the players we have signed but I like the mixture GC has gone for. Regarding the youth players, they just seem like another option to me, and if they get a chance and are good enough they will continue to play, what’s wrong with that?

There’s absolutely no indication that warrants being concerned about anything right now, and on on the plus side it’s not going to take much to improve from last season!

[cassellswasmagic]

How the hell are we 4th favourites after last season. No indication to suggest we will be top 7, let alone top 4.

[arsene wengers coat]

How the hell are we 4th favourites after last season. No indication to suggest we will be top 7, let alone top 4.

Ridiculous really. And Morecambe defy the odds every single season.

Bolton have to be outright faves though.

[cassellswasmagic]

How the hell are we 4th favourites after last season. No indication to suggest we will be top 7, let alone top 4.

Ridiculous really. And Morecambe defy the odds every single season.

Bolton have to be outright faves though.

You would think. I actually love how we are doing business this season!

[stagmanrob]

My concern, and I can envisage the thread popping up shortly once the season commences, is that old favourite "No plan B."

Looks like wing backs and if that doesn't work, it'll be a case of "Try harder and make it work."

I think if clubs do their homework on us, we'll be one of those teams that may get found out and teams will set up specifically to play against us.

[MTFCMusings]

I think the no Plan B argument is a valid concern, however if you execute Plan A well enough then it shouldn’t matter. Flitcroft took us to one point from promotion with no Plan B. We played the same way in every game.

[Tippy Tappy Football]

DF should have stuck to his Plan A. He started panicking towards the end of the season and going direct far too early in games. It was also pointless with the likes of Tyler Walker and CJ Hamilton up front.

[Dan]

I agree you stick to your plan A until it works. Tweak it a bit but never go away from what you know. That’s why I was shocked that Pep Guardiola did exactly that against Lyon and he paid the ultimate price for it. He should’ve just stuck to how they always play but he set up differently to try and stop Lyon and it failed. It just goes to show that even the best mess it up at times.

[yorkshire stag]

My concern, and I can envisage the thread popping up shortly once the season commences, is that old favourite "No plan B."

Looks like wing backs and if that doesn't work, it'll be a case of "Try harder and make it work."

I think if clubs do their homework on us, we'll be one of those teams that may get found out and teams will set up specifically to play against us.

said the very same thing last week, not one winger in the building

[stagmanrob]

My concern, and I can envisage the thread popping up shortly once the season commences, is that old favourite "No plan B."

Looks like wing backs and if that doesn't work, it'll be a case of "Try harder and make it work."

I think if clubs do their homework on us, we'll be one of those teams that may get found out and teams will set up specifically to play against us.

said the very same thing last week, not one winger in the building

The worst thing I envisage with it as well, is when any of the wing backs are having a bit of a mare defensively (Mal Benning does have his moments more often than not recently) and they get doubled up on by the wingers and overlapping full backs when the opposition go with 4-4-2.
It's the job of the extra centre mid or one of the three centre halves to get over and help out, but it's far more likely with our lot that they point the finger at each other saying it's someone elses job when it all goes tits up.

[MTFCMAD]

My concern, and I can envisage the thread popping up shortly once the season commences, is that old favourite "No plan B."

Looks like wing backs and if that doesn't work, it'll be a case of "Try harder and make it work."

I think if clubs do their homework on us, we'll be one of those teams that may get found out and teams will set up specifically to play against us.

said the very same thing last week, not one winger in the building

The worst thing I envisage with it as well, is when any of the wing backs are having a bit of a mare defensively (Mal Benning does have his moments more often than not recently) and they get doubled up on by the wingers and overlapping full backs when the opposition go with 4-4-2.
It's the job of the extra centre mid or one of the three centre halves to get over and help out, but it's far more likely with our lot that they point the finger at each other saying it's someone elses job when it all goes tits up.

I’m sure GC won’t allow that to happen.

Also fans seem to be picking lots of what ifs with a formation we’ve basically played the last 2 seasons.