Where will we be in 5 years' time?

[slack_pie]

There's a lot of uncertainty around the club at the moment, both in terms of our immediate future and our long-term aspirations. It got me thinking - assuming our current owners remain at the helm, where will we be in 5 years' time?

I suppose it depends whether we stay up this season or not. But even if we do scrape survival, can we expect anything less than another relegation scrap next season? And if we go down, is there anything to suggest we'll be able to mount a promotion challenge in L2?

Personally I think we will be relegated this season. I think we deserve to relegated, the way the club has been run/managed this season. I also think L2 will prove just as tough as last time and we are far more likely to settle into mid-table or lower than return quickly to L1. As attendances will inevitably continue to drop, we could find ourselves in a tricky position on and off the field.

So my guess is we'll be in L2, probably mid-table or below. On the other hand, if we somehow manage t

[GranthamPie]

I think that this division is poor... as poor as I can remember. We've played some very, very average teams and yet we're still floundering at the foot of the table.

I think it will be a miracle if we escape this time and if we do get relegated, I think we will in all likelihood stay in that division for at least a couple of seasons... or at least until we can get some sort of stability both on and off the pitch.

Everytime I think the club is moving forward... we seem to have a infuriating habit of taking several steps back.

I guess the Coventry game is the decider... if we do as we did on saturday and defend deep (AGAIN!) and play for a draw, then other than Yeovil, I cannot see where the points are coming from and we will be as good as down in my opinion.


Sorry edit... I think (hope) we will be back in Division 1

[jackal2]

First and foremost we still need to have a club alive to support. In five years' time the club needs to be financially breaking even (at least) so we never again reach the knife-edge situation we faced under Scardino and then under Munto.

Within that framework we should aim to be playing reasonably attractive football in the highest league we can, and with the right manager and some stability at the club, plus more graduates from the youth system, I see no reason why that should not be League One, or at worst one of the promotion contenders in League Two.

Due to the investments already made by the owners we are a stronger club with a better off-the-field commercial offer than when we were living hand to mouth under the Trust.

Part of the battle is keeping supporters being realistic about what they can expect in what is (and will continue to be) the harshest financial environment smaller football league clubs have ever faced. On the field our situation at present looks bad, but foot

[Old_pie]

Some good points but:

First and foremost we still need to have a club alive to support. In five years' time the club needs to be financially breaking even (at least) so we never again reach the knife-edge situation we faced under Scardino and then under Munto.

Do any clubs in our sphere break even? I would have thought that most require a constant drip-feeding, but certainly the haemorraging of money needed to stop.

Within that framework we should aim to be playing reasonably attractive football in the highest league we can,

That's a soundbite. You sound as if you'd be happy with 'good' football in the conference.

[quote="jackal2"]
and with the right manager and some stability at the club, plus more graduates from the youth system, I see no reason why that should not be League One, or at worst one of the promotion contenders in League Two. [/quo

[upthemaggies]

jackal2, as ever, talks a lot of sense which is difficult to argue with until you realise that this is English football we're talking about where any sensible ideas and forward planning soon gets chucked out of the window as a result of yet another unforeseen set of circumstances.

I lost any faith in Ray Trew's ability to get us into the Championship the day he appointed Kiwomya full time. Since then it's only got worse and it's almost a given now that when we leave this division it will be for League Two. The question then is - What would be the point of getting promoted back up again unless there's a change of ownership?

So if we still have the same regime in place in 5 years time, I'd have to predict mid-table L2 with only the odd frustrating failure in the play-off's likely to stir any real interest in Notts unless things go seriously wrong over the river.

[rafmagpie]

still playing Europa League football after failing to make the top 4. :/ :/ :/

Get a grip Notts! TREW OOT!

[Oldstripy]

[quote="Old_pie"]Some good points but:

First and foremost we still need to have a club alive to support. In five years' time the club needs to be financially breaking even (at least) so we never again reach the knife-edge situation we faced under Scardino and then under Munto.

Do any clubs in our sphere break even? I would have thought that most require a constant drip-feeding, but certainly the haemorraging of money needed to stop.

4 days ago Yeovil announced for 2013/14 a profit of 1.4M, I know they are going to be relegated this season but it shows clubs in our sphere can make a profit.

[rekz2014]

I'd dread to think where the club will be in 5 years time with trews at the helm,i am already fearing the worst for next season if we go down to league 2. I think ray thinks it will be easy to get back up but it's never easy and just look where tranmere are right now in league 2 and that could have easily been us if we hadn't had got that penalty against oldham and if tranny hadnt lost in the end to bradford even carlisle are struggling too. The only 2 teams who went down and doing well is shrewsbury who are in top 3 and stevenage who are just outside the play offs. In my opinion i still say ray trew would be better off in non league to have any success with the kind of budget he puts in and dreadful managers he keeps picking.

[magicianpie]

I'd dread to think where the club will be in 5 years time with trews at the helm,i am already fearing the worst for next season if we go down to league 2. I think ray thinks it will be easy to get back up but it's never easy and just look where tranmere are right now in league 2 and that could have easily been us if we hadn't had got that penalty against oldham and if tranny hadnt lost in the end to bradford even carlisle are struggling too. The only 2 teams who went down and doing well is shrewsbury who are in top 3 and stevenage who are just outside the play offs. In my opinion i still say ray trew would be better off in non league to have any success with the kind of budget he puts in and dreadful managers he keeps picking.

I am not sure about that, if the recent budgets we've had are sustainable budgets at l1 level can you imagine what Rays budget would be at Non league level? I do think we will be Non league in 5 years actuall

[slack_pie]

edit: posted on the wrong thread...