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*Official* English Football Season 2015-16
- Thread starter Furball
- Start date
Lillian Thomson
Hall of Fame Member
The new season is officially underway with West Ham beating Lusitanos 3-0 in the Europa League qualifier.
sledger
Spanish_Vicente
Haha, sadly I suspect this post is only slightly in jest.Yes because I don't know who those first people are, and the others were before my time.
Getting old.
dontcloseyoureyes
BARNES OUT
In his defence being from "before his time" is anyone who retired or delcined from the top level before 2012. Probably considers Sneijder and van der Vaart before his time.
GIMH
Norwood's on Fire
Yes, that's the proof it's gone too far...
flibbertyjibber
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Gimp's lot made a good signing if he stays fit. Mangan was quality for us last season so in the division below he could be brilliant as long as they manage him right.
Uppercut
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Juninho might be comparable. The others were mostly top class players towards the end of their careers, who traditionally shine at relegation threatened clubs. Djorkaeff was my favourite.
Shaqiri is a young player widely believed to have incredibly high potential. You don't see this kind of move much at all.
flibbertyjibber
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Surely somebody else will come in for him and be a better bet than Stoke?
Southampton must have another player they can sell to Liverpool and buy him as a replacement.
Southampton must have another player they can sell to Liverpool and buy him as a replacement.
GIMH
Norwood's on Fire
We've made excellent signings. Beat off L1/L2 clubs for a lot of them. I'll settle for nothing but 1st place.
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And so it begins. Again.
GIMH
Norwood's on Fire
Haha. I know, right. BUT - there are actual differences this season.
1. It's not just me displaying blind optimism and ignoring wiser calls among our fanbase that midtable would be an achievement with the squad assembled. Most of our fans seem to share my optimism at this stage.
2. We've actually got one of the top 3 or 4 budgets in the division, so I'm not just blindly expecting us to punch above our weight. Us in the conference is like a Villa or Newcastle dropping into the Championship. No way should the fans expect anything other than an instant return.
3. The squad we've assembled is full of players who meet one or more of the below:
a. Turned down L1/L2 clubs because we are displaying more ambition and presumably offering better money
b. Have track records of winning promotion from the Conference and/or League 2
c. Have 1 in 2 goalscoring records at this level (only applicable to forwards)
d. Were one of their club's top players last season according to the fans, who have expressed dismay at losing them
The few players we've kept are the better ones we have, many of whom have held their own in League One, with us.
And off the field, for the first time since the 90s we are actually displaying ambition. It's little things, and big things. For example, for 10+ years, PP has had a real capacity a couple of thousand below the advertised figure because of the sheer volume of broken seats. Probably something a Prem/Championship club, or even a decent L1 club, sorts out every summer. We've replaced 2500 seats. The suites, which when they opened in the 90s were a big step for a small club like us, have fallen into disrepair, you know when you step in somewhere and think 'this is hospitality?' Clubs like Chesterfield raced ahead of us, raising non-matchday revenue by developing facilities that could be used for conferences, weddings, whatever. I had my 30th in one of the suites last summer, but that was out of sentiment for me rather than the quality of the facilities. They've all been renovated. We had an open day last week to see the two finished ones and they look outstanding. Sure, they'd be below what you get at Anfield or Old Trafford, but they wouldn't look out of place at some of the Championship stadia I've seen. We've hired new execs, with experience at other clubs, to oversee such projects.
These things all started to get put in place last August once the Palioses arrived, but they were too late to stop the rot on the pitch. Now, we have a home to be proud of once more and what appears to be the makings of a team to go with it.
Some whites would probably accept a top five place now. Not me. I can't see that any club has a squad to challange ours. I expect the title. But at least to challenge for it.
Lillian Thomson
Hall of Fame Member
The only thing Tranmere have got to look forward to in the next couple of years is forging a rivalry with FC United of Manchester.
Magrat Garlick
Rather Mad Witch
best of luck in trying to negotiate the Vanarama National League