Next Season

[Rez1862]

The problem with getting NL players in is that you then become an NL team - Did Wrexham & Stockport go out and buy seasoned NL players NO, they brought in players from higher leagues, that is what will get you promoted improving the overall standard not watering it down by bringing in NL players. Most of those players ply their trade the NL for a reason.

Wrexham and Stockport also spent silly money - something the owners, quite rightly, are not willing to do. We've been there before quite recently and it very nearly cost us everything.

[BanjoPie]

Wrexham and Stockport also spent silly money - something the owners, quite rightly, are not willing to do. We've been there before quite recently and it very nearly cost us everything.

I think you may have missed my point, if you buy players experienced in the NL, then you are not really improving your squad - Wrexham & Stockport did buy players from higher leagues and it looked like its worked for them!

[Big Bob]

We won't do anything next season. Let the Wootons, Roberts etc go as they think they're too good for us now Notts have put them in a bit of limelight and now they've 1 eye on the exit door expecting to go to better things. They'll end up bench warmers then back to the lower clubs where they started. We've seen it all before

[Warnocks Legends]

Wooton Checked out on the ago, rodders and Roberts are inconsistent but usually due to being played in wrong position . Sam should stay and be given much more opportunity to shine. Vincent is a no brained he has vigour, desire and an eye for goal but Burchnall won't see it that way. Rawlinson and O'Brien legs are finished so release, I like DKE although many don't. Francis is too negative. I would get in a decent strong old fashioned strikers, a playmaker in midfield, 2 strong defenders, play Vincent , Sam and give knight a chance.

[Rez1862]

I think you may have missed my point, if you buy players experienced in the NL, then you are not really improving your squad - Wrexham & Stockport did buy players from higher leagues and it looked like its worked for them!

Apologies!

Looking at the past couple of years, I don't recall Sutton, Harrogate or Barrow having a squad of ex-FL players. By your argument, another NL club signing Rodders or Cal wouldn't be an improvement on their squad, which they clearly would be for 95% of the clubs in the league.

[keldsyke]

Apologies!

Looking at the past couple of years, I don't recall Sutton, Harrogate or Barrow having a squad of ex-FL players. By your argument, another NL club signing Rodders or Cal wouldn't be an improvement on their squad, which they clearly would be for 95% of the clubs in the league.

Spot on, we need players like Jamal Fyfield, Danny Wright to name but two who would help us in our push out of this league.

[MAD_MAGPIE]

Yesterday's result (and many this season) we're not good enough. But I think we're a bit in danger of throwing the baby out with the bathwater here.

The recruitment over the last 18months has actually been pretty good imo. Which is why we're currently in 5th place - only 4 wins off top in a season where the top 2 have got significantly more points than in previous seasons.

I'd try to keep the nucleus of this squad together. We just need a bit of backbone. We need to prioritise experienced NL energetic, competitive and aggressive first-team-ready signings at GK, CB (to play alongside Cameron), CM (to replace Arter) and CF (to replace Wootton).

I'd consider selling and replacing CR or RR if the right offer comes in for them. And the key question for me about IB is not whether he can win the play-offs, but if he can learn from his mistakes and build a team who can play a bit more rough and direct when needed.

This is an excellent post. It's easy to get caught up in the heat of the moment after defeats away from home such as the one yesterday against Aldershot and against Torquay but in the cold light of day it's more about evolution rather than a complete revolution. So my response is going to be based around the stats.

This is IB's first full season. No doubt he will have seen and know where our weaknesses have been this season which the major issue appears to be away from home when we don't have the ball and where teams are happy for us to retain possession but then hit us on the counter attack. We play like the home side, the home side play like the away side and it's been our undoing on eight occasions.

Let's look at the positives in that Meadow Lane is a fortress having lost twice this season to Woking and Grimsby. It's currently the 3rd best in the league and is the best it's been in the three seasons we have been at this level and is without a doubt title winning form. We've won more games and scored more goals than the other two seasons at this level. We have conceded the most goals as well. The basic stats show that things are going in the right direction;

Season 1 - P20, W10, D8, L2, GF36, GA16, GD+20, Pts 38 (PPG 1.90)
Season 2 - P21, W11, D3, L7, GF33, GA20, GD+13, Pts 36 (PPG 1.71)
Season 3 - P20, W13, D5, L2, GF43, GA22, GD+21, Pts 44 (PPG 2.20)

Away from home our form is currently the 6th best in the league. Yesterdays' defeat set a new marker for the most amount of defeats away from home in a season at this level. We have scored more goals away from home this season which will be partly due to the heavy win against Barnet. We need to win at least half of our away games and only lose five on the road to challenge for the title.

So we are about three away wins short of where we ideally needed to be to have kept up with Stockport and Solihull. Let's look at the eight games we've lost on the road. Half of the games we have lost we were only losing by one goal at half time. Two games we were 1-0 up at half time. It's clear that the second half away from home is where our weakness lies and it's something that requires improvement. This is where we need that intensity, fight, hunger and desire to get ourselves back into these games and turn some of these into wins. It's also worth remembering the disappointing draws away at Wealdstone and Weymouth.

Aldershot = 1-1 at half time
Torquay = 0-2 at half time
Stockport = 0-1 at half time
Chesterfield = 1-0 at half time
Bromley = 0-1 at half time
Eastleigh = 0-1 at half time
Halifax = 1-0 at half time
Altrincham = 0-1 at half time

Our away form is the same as it was in our first season at this level as the stats show;

Season 1 - P18, W7, D4, L7, GF25, GA22, GD+3, Pts 25 (PPG 1.38)
Season 2 - P21, W9, D7, L5, GF29, GA21, GD+8, Pts 34 (PPG 1.62)
Season 3 - P21, W8, D5, L8, GF33, GA30, GD+3, Pts 29 (PPG 1.38)

[OP67]

Last season Barrow won the league with 84 points after 42 games. Stockport are on 85 and 2 games away from 42 games. We have some better teams this season to compete with that's for sure. We finished 5th on 70 points and we've passed that with 73 and game to play. I'd say we've improved but unfortunately so have other teams by spending money.

[laddo]

We need someone who can motivate the players from the sides when things are not going well, not a pair of mutes.. I dont know who that may be, but there seems to be quite a few in this league that have done one over on us..

I'm sure there are but we need names.

Wilde?Garrard? Williamson? Hayrettin? Ardley? Ok forget him he's having a great season but you never go back, and he's also an arm's crossed thinking mute.

I have no idea if the others are animated or not but is that who we should be after when we need a new manager?

[MAD_MAGPIE]

Apologies!

Looking at the past couple of years, I don't recall Sutton, Harrogate or Barrow having a squad of ex-FL players. By your argument, another NL club signing Rodders or Cal wouldn't be an improvement on their squad, which they clearly would be for 95% of the clubs in the league.

There is nothing wrong with having a few NL players in the team as long as they are the best at this level and have the experience. Plus if they are below 25 they could move up the leagues.

Let's look at a few of Lincoln's squad as examples of players under 25 who played 40+ games and got them promoted out of this league;

Sam Habergham - Defender. Was part of Norwich's U18's and reserves. Went to Tamworth and spent four years at Braintree before moving to Lincoln. Was 24 at the time.

Sean Raggett - Defender. Part of Gillingham academy and signed for Dover and made 100 appearances. Was 23 at the time. Got signed by Norwich after Lincoln got promoted but went back to Lincoln on loan. Currently at Portsmouth in League One and is an established. This is a perfect example of a radar kind of signing. Giving someone their big break who is going to go up the leagues and who will attract a transfer fee.

Alex Woodyard - Midfielder. Started at Charlton in their youth set up then went to Southend in league two. Spent a season at Dartford, Concord Rangers and Braintree before joining Lincoln and was 23 at the time. Moved to League One Peterborough and currently at AFC Wimbledon in league one.

So signing a 23/24 year old National League player who had had a good education at a higher level is as close to the radar type of signing we've seen. The exception being they would have three or four seasons experience at this level and have that hunger and desire to take their careers to the next level before they get to their peak at 27/28.