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Post by SHABBA! on May 7, 2007 19:04:27 GMT
I really think with a copple of signings and a fully fit team we can win the league
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Post by shadwellarmy on May 7, 2007 19:57:57 GMT
So do I! But, early though it is, my predictions for the coming season are as follows:
First place - Newport County. I think they were very unlucky not to have done better this season, had to sort themselves out after a poor season the year before and were a little slow off the mark, but they now have an excellent team, have been ruthless in cutting out their older players, have good financial backing, and I think that they could go the whole way next season.
Play-off places - 2nd place - St Albans. The experience gained in the National, good team, I think they will not quite take the top spot, but will definately be there in the final scrum. 3rd place - Boro! My heart says we'll win it, but my brain says we're not quite there yet - a few injuries and suspensions will be what costs us the vital points, but we're in the play-offs imo! 3rd place. 4th place - Havant. How did they lose to Braintree? Class team, quality outfit all round, I expect another great season from them, but I think we will just pip them in quality. 5th place - lots of contenders for this last place, but I'm going to go for Hampden & Richmond. I've seen them play, I have a few friends who follow them, and I think that they will be the surprise team next season. I would say Salisbury, but I expect them to be in the Premier next year; I can't see them losing to Braintree!
Other teams that will be going close and will be in the mix during the season - Bromley (a quality team, well capable of competing at this level), Eastleigh (I think they'll be sorted out for next season), Dorchester (yep, I think they played well below their true potential this season, and I expect them to be a top ten or better side next year).
At the bottom of the table, I expect to see Maidenhead ending up rock bottom and a swift departure from pyramid level two (I really don't think that they will be able to hack it), and, just above them, Bognor Regis. Sorry, I like them and would like to see more Sussex teams in the division, but they are having problems with gate attendances, financial and building problems and I really don't think that they are yet really a Pyramid Two club. They have done marvels so far, but I think off-field problems will catch up with them next season. The final relegations spot is between, imo, Yeading, Cambridge, Thurrock (who will probably all be playing a repeat of this season just gone), Fisher (I can see them in freefall; they seem to have over-extended at the start of last season and are still paying for it), Welling (ditto; also probably the luckiest team last year, just how many last-minute goals against the run of play did they get? Luck evens out, so they won't get any next year!) and Braintree (sorry, I am just not impressed with them and don't think that they'll play well two seasons in a row - unless of course they beat Salisbury!).
Basingstoke and Bishop Stortford I predict will end up mid-table next year, and Lewes will have a repeat of this season - I think that they will end up 9th or 10th, but never be serious challangers for a play-off place.
I think we are going to receive someone from the Conference North, but as I don't know who, I'll just ignore them; treat them as a wild card!
So that's it - if pushed for a prediction, Newport and Boro to go up, Maidenhead, Bognor and (with no real conviction here) Yeading to go down.
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Post by shadwellarmy on May 7, 2007 20:03:53 GMT
Ooopps, sorry, I forgot to mention new boys Bath. Bottom half of the table, nothing exciting, but probably not in any serious danger of relegation. Mind you, I don't really know anything about what they're like now.
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Post by Ollie on May 8, 2007 10:03:57 GMT
I think we are going to receive someone from the Conference North, but as I don't know who, I'll just ignore them; treat them as a wild card! Not sure anyone will change leagues at this level because its quite an even split between clubs coming in and out of the South and North. South: Bath, Bromley, Hampton, Maidenhead and St Albans. North: Telford, Burscough, Altincham, Southport and Tamworth. I too reckon we will be up there with a chance of the title with a bit of luck on the injury front and a few quality signings.
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Post by shadwellarmy on May 8, 2007 18:31:58 GMT
I thought that we were still one team shy - five teams in and six out (two promoted, three relegated, plus Farnborough getting a compulsory demotion). Or have Hayes had a reprieve? If so, then I amend my predictions and confidently expect Maidenhead bottom, Hayes next and Bognor taking the last place for the drop.
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Post by Ollie on May 8, 2007 18:42:58 GMT
Don't think anything official as in terms of relegation have happened to Farnborough (yet?). You are right in saying that Hayes will be reprived and not a Conference National team as I think you may have thought because that is the only way a North team may have come South.
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Post by sportspool on May 8, 2007 20:10:55 GMT
I think Farnborough have been given the same deadine (12th May) as Crawley to get everything sorted out financially. If they havent, they would get kicked out of the Conference. Which would mean both teams would have to find a space for themselves in the Ryman League or lower.
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Post by shadwellarmy on May 8, 2007 22:04:38 GMT
Nothing that I saw on the Farnborough website, but a couple of posts on the fans forum saying that they had received an compulsory demotion. I thought that it was all done and dusted, and that was why we were having four teams coming up. On the Hayes website there is, again, nothing about it, but, again, the fans forum is talking about next year in Pyramid Level Three, so it is not clear what has happened. Mind you, if Crawley don't get sorted out (and I've no idea what is going on there at the mo') could they end up in our division, and St Albans get a reprieve? I'm completely confused now! And this seems to be my normal state of mind at present!
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Post by sportspool on May 9, 2007 0:05:26 GMT
If Crawley get kicked out, it would be Altrincham that would get the reprieve as they finished in the higher position in the relegation places. Thats where it would get confusing as Crawley is southern and Altrincham is northern. If that was to happen, id imagine that Cambridge would get moved into Conf North as they would be a team short. Hayes would then get a reprieve and Crawley would go in to Ryman Prem as they wouldnt be allowed in Conf South either. At least Scarborough got more points than Hayes did Otherwise it would have been the same situation as last year with Carshalton and Leigh RMI. And who said end of season football was easy!!!!
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Post by Jim "Convertedeagle" Stewart on May 9, 2007 17:51:32 GMT
According to a report on southern counties today, Crawley have been cleared to remain in Conf natioanl as they havent breached any conference rules...
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Post by sportspool on May 9, 2007 23:57:39 GMT
They will compete in Conference National next season unless their application to be in the Conference get denied entrance at the Conference AGM (all teams have to re-apply every year to stay in or join the Conference) to be held in Bournemouth on 9th June. Also to be voted on is whether Boston should be allowed in. If my memory is correct, it was at the AGM that Scarborough were relegated to Conference North.
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Post by shadwellarmy on May 10, 2007 8:12:14 GMT
I wish all the best to Crawley (and to their supporters, who have shown real pride in these dificult times for them) and hope they do stay in the National/Premier. However, if they do get a two-division demotion, that leaves Boro as the highest ranked NL team in Sussex, does it not? Quite a way on from the boys team who kicked a ball around a council park a few short years ago! And all the more impressive with the considering the great improvement in NL football in general and the relatively vast sums of money that have gone into other Sussex teams - Crawley, Lewes, Hastings Town/United and St Leonards Stamco - although it was not always wisely spent! BHA also look like they may be in terminal decline (who remembers them making the play-off final for the Premier League now? Although it was within living memory!) and, although I don't often think about the Dark Side of Football, unless they make some sort of revival they could well be in League Two in two or three years, and possibly the Blue Square Premier a season or two after that (Premier to Premier in twenty five years or so, but not in a good way!), and, if we continue to pick players as well as we have been, Boro could be the biggest team in Sussex, bar none! In fact, Gillingham are not looking any too stable either; maybe Boro are destined to be the biggest team in the SE of England, outside of London? Now wouldn't that be something?
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Post by maz on May 10, 2007 16:55:44 GMT
shadwellarmy, Regarding your last sentence, do you or anyone else know why on local Meridian TV we get reports from Charlton or Southend matches?? You have Crystal Palace a lot nearer to us than either of them two ,and Millwall a few miles from Charlton . Does anybody know why or is someone at the Meridian Sports desk a Charlton fan?? ;D
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Post by shadwellarmy on May 10, 2007 17:49:44 GMT
Didn't realise that that was the way of things - as I don't own a TV and never have!
The thought of having to watch details of Charlton's games on 'local' news is yet another reason why I doubt if I will ever purchase one!
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Post by Jim "Convertedeagle" Stewart on May 10, 2007 20:19:25 GMT
shadwellarmy, Regarding your last sentence, do you or anyone else know why on local Meridian TV we get reports from Charlton or Southend matches?? You have Crystal Palace a lot nearer to us than either of them two ,and Millwall a few miles from Charlton . Does anybody know why or is someone at the Meridian Sports desk a Charlton fan?? ;D As a life long Palace fan I can answer this 100% accurately. I wrote to Meridian asking this very question and the reply i got was that Charlton and Gillingham are Kent clubs, Southend are Essex and Brighton in Sussex. As Palace are a Surrey club then the Meridian region doesnt cover them...
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Post by maz on May 11, 2007 10:49:43 GMT
what a joke, Charltyon are only 5 miles from Trafalgar Square. Are they saying that Woolwich is in Kent as well? Funny how they show the football action from Charlton Athletic but never any news from Deptford, Charlton or Woolwich
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Post by Jim "Convertedeagle" Stewart on May 11, 2007 12:29:57 GMT
Well that was the information that Meridian gave to me Maz... Lets face it, ITV have been crap at regional football coverage for a long time now, and you can hardly expect a local tv company to be able to inform about every non league outfit on their patch. BBC South East new does a reasonable job, as we have witnessed ourselves in the past couple of seasons...
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