League One 25/26 - the Runners and Riders, or Schumacher's First Strike

[jmjhb]

Tough start and tough run-in. Need to be on it from the dot.

Everyone has to play each other twice. The order can impact but I suspect not too much. Can be good playing some of the stronger sides early before they settle or could be the same said of playing us.

Just got to win every game. Not much to ask.

Agree, but that makes the ongoing transfer business and the, let's say, 'robustness' of the squad even more paramount.

[The_Gun]

Blackpool have done some decent business: Horsfall, Ihiekwe (experienced CB pairing), Honeyman with midfield nous, and Ennis for being a defender's pain in the neck.

And, for all his faults, a pretty decent manager too. I'm quite jealous of the business they've done. They should be up their challenging given the probable outlay on fees and wages.

Echoes of Rotherham from last summer, for me. Lots of business done early to bring in solid lower league players. I’m not worried about them.

[Worthy4England]

^^ I'm a bit worried about them - they've taken plenty of points off us recently. They might not assemble a "top 2" squad, but if we don't change recent results, chances are, we won't either.

[Harry Genshaw]

Aye. Not wishing to sound unduly negative but you could make a case for any of the following to have a strong season;

Luton, Cardiff, Plymouth, Stockport, Orient, Wycombe, Huddersfield, Blackpool, Peterborough, Wigan and Rotherham.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Aye. Not wishing to sound unduly negative but you could make a case for any of the following to have a strong season;

Luton, Cardiff, Plymouth, Stockport, Orient, Wycombe, Huddersfield, Blackpool, Peterborough, Wigan and Rotherham.

Was just thinking about this, while putting the fixtures in my calendar. People worrying about this month or that month but if you're of a mind to do so, you could make a case for pretty much any opponent/fixture to be either a tough cookie or a banana skin.

There's 11 sides listed above. Barring the Wanderers - often their own greatest enemy - the other 12 are....

• AFC Wimbledon - Home: "type of game we'd lose" / Away: "tight little ground"
• Barnsley - "they always beat us" (H/A)
• Bradford - "they'll bring 10,000" / "big crowd, great home record"
• Burton - "we can't beat long-ballers"
• Doncaster - "Champions on a roll" / "tough place to go"
• Exeter - "they keep winning at ours" / "long way to go"
• Lincoln - "solid last season" / "we keep losing there"
• Mansfield - "Clough's a good manager" (H/A)
• Northampton - 'typical if we lose to Nobby" (H/A)
• Port Vale - "type of game we lose" / "difficult place to go"
• Reading - "finished above us last season, new owners" / "we never win there"
• Stevenage - Home: "type of game we'd lose" / Away: "tight little ground"

I'm half in jest but a lot of this sport is about confidence. Fear is the absence of faith... let's look at the opening fixtures the other way:
• Stockport away - quiet so far, might have overachieved last season
• Plymouth home - still in disarray, how good's this young manager?
• Barnsley away - quietly falling apart for a year now
• Reading at home - won't like the long midweek trip
• Lincoln at home - lost their best players
• Blackpool away - time to kill that hoodoo!

etc and so on.

[Worthy4England]

I think (and I'm sure we do), take each game on it's merits. I think the speculation about who might be "up there" the coming season, is just so much guesswork - we'd have probably all picked Brum out, last year and maybe Wrexham - but how many got Wycombe and Stockport - Charlton and Orient - dunno - wouldn't have been my picks. In fact I reckon I'd have got 2 out of the top 6.

[Harry Genshaw]

Thanks DSB - I'm feeling better again now!

Worthy - I think you're onto something there. Eve of the new season let's have everyone's promotion and relegation picks. See who's closest next May and who are the wildly optimistic ones on here who will back us for top 2 or 6.

[BWFC_Insane]

I think (and I'm sure we do), take each game on it's merits. I think the speculation about who might be "up there" the coming season, is just so much guesswork - we'd have probably all picked Brum out, last year and maybe Wrexham - but how many got Wycombe and Stockport - Charlton and Orient - dunno - wouldn't have been my picks. In fact I reckon I'd have got 2 out of the top 6.

It’s an unpredictable league for sure.

[Mar]

Interesting start to the season.

We've got a tough start, that may give the backers a chance to rest on our laurels with what we've got or pull the trigger on signings if we seem to be struggling.

Tough start and tough end to the season. Gotta do the work when it counts and get good players in.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Add in Sheff Wed (H, League Cup) to that start....

[Worthy4England]

If we have a start like last year, there's a fair old chance we'll get a finish like last year too!

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

If we have a start like last year, there's a fair old chance we'll get a finish like last year too!

There's already folk predicting Schumacher will be out by October and Darby installed as caretaker.

And that's without getting into the new-kit brouhaha.

[Worthy4England]

If we have a start like last year, there's a fair old chance we'll get a finish like last year too!

There's already folk predicting Schumacher will be out by October and Darby installed as caretaker.

And that's without getting into the new-kit brouhaha.

I'm nowhere near that, with the transfer window a long way from complete, but as we saw last season as with most seasons, it's generally pretty early on, when the likely outcome is set.

I mean sure there's some sunny folks, but the maths between loitering in 10th a four or five points adrift of 6th at the end of September are not the same as being in 7th, one point adrift, even though your head tells you "it's only 4/5 points"

[truewhite15]

If we have a start like last year, there's a fair old chance we'll get a finish like last year too!

There's already folk predicting Schumacher will be out by October and Darby installed as caretaker.

And that's without getting into the new-kit brouhaha.

New kit brouhaha?

[truewhite15]

If we have a start like last year, there's a fair old chance we'll get a finish like last year too!

There's already folk predicting Schumacher will be out by October and Darby installed as caretaker.

And that's without getting into the new-kit brouhaha.

New kit brouhaha?

Ne'er mind. Just seen it. Not the one I voted for, but don't quite see the need for the vitriol. Guess that's our fanbase for you.

[HMX]

It may have gone under the radar, unless I missed reading it on here, but Plymouth have signed Amaechi from Magdeburg. Remember him?

[The_Gun]

It may have gone under the radar, unless I missed reading it on here, but Plymouth signed Amaechi from Magdeburg. Remember him?

Didn’t be play about two games for us and then get a serious injury?

[Worthy4England]

It may have gone under the radar, unless I missed reading it on here, but Plymouth have signed Amaechi from Magdeburg. Remember him?

Xavier, you see. Not your Bob or Stan. I am trying not to remember him.

[Frank Drebin]

https://thecelticstar.com/celtic-reject ... ng-talent/

A forward whose been decent out on loan.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

It may have gone under the radar, unless I missed reading it on here, but Plymouth have signed Amaechi from Magdeburg. Remember him?

Xavier, you see. Not your Bob or Stan. I am trying not to remember him.

Don't upset our new 6...