What are your expectations for next season?

[the_anticlough]

Exactly this. Far too often we have dropped points against sides in the bottom half by allowing them time to settle into the game and not attacking them from the off - a way too negative approach given the players at our disposal. We will drop points against sides battling for promotion but there is no real excuse for some of the turgid displays we have seen against part-timers. I simply can't see this happening this season. It feels like the owners have given IB licence to be attack-minded in his approach, and they showed with how long they gave NA (despite him clearly not being their man) that they are certainly not trigger-happy like previous incumbents.

My min expectation is top 3 but I think we will win the thing.

Agree with most of that. It's so far so good with the off-season but I wouldn't want to put a number on it (place) given it's such a competitive league.

My minimum expectation is 'top of the table contenders' - guess that means 'contention', which rules out being 10 + points behind the leaders after losing to the likes of Dover/Maidenhead/Aldershot and more in your first 10 games. This is putting yourself out of contention as the last 2 NA seasons showed us. It'd be maddening if we had to go through that again.
We need that fixing this year and like most fans it seems I think it will be fixed with IB.

If we're mixing it up with the leaders all-season long I'll be happy - it's pretty much a new team so who knows at this stage how we're going to stack up next to Stockport. Wrexham, Chesterfield, Torquay and the rest of them. Just compete with them all season long and let's see how it shakes out.

[laddo]

I follow ACs view, we should be in the Top 5 mix for the vast majority of the season once it all settles down a bit.

Having finished 3rd in the first season, were in 5th when NA was sacked and 5th when last season finished we should be expecting Top 5 this season even if with all these 2 year signings next season should see an overall natural improvement from those players.

Although NA finished 3rd and left us 5th when he was asked to clear his desk we very rarely felt like a Top 3 side and really in the mix. The one time we did or really started to we were unfortunate with the season being stopped prematurely.

[the_anticlough]

Although NA finished 3rd and left us 5th when he was asked to clear his desk we very rarely felt like a Top 3 side and really in the mix.

Yes it was frustrating playing catch-up (damn Henry Kelly for introducing that into the English language, but guess there was a gap in the linguistic market) and it effectively means 'out-of-contention' in a 1-up league

These are the loss totals for the last 4 champions (and you could go back further)

Sutton L8 (42 games)
Barrow L9 (drew only 7)
Orient L7
Macclesfield L8

And when the league has really strong sides like it does this season you just can't afford to fall too far behind if you want to achieve your goal. Good prep and a positive approach means IB's Notts are unlikely to fall into the same trap

[MagpieNate]

With only 1 auto spot, can’t really expect automatic promotion. There’s a lot of competition this year as well. As an absolute minimum we need to be comfortably in the top 7. Top 5 is a fair expectation and top 3 should be really be the target.

[kill_the_drum]

I expect a top 5 finish.
What I would like to see this season over anything else is ‘bounce-back-ability’
I think our undoing in the first two seasons is we seem to take a defeat into the next game.
We’re always going to lose games, but I want us to punish the next team we play, not look petrified that it’s going to happen again.

[LEPiePie]

Minimum: Top 3
Expected: Promotion
Goal: Top

[Big Bob]

Champions

[crazyfists]

Now NCMs most negative and pessimistic poster?

I hope Notts show as much consistency as Kelton does just with positive results instead.

I can see where it comes from, he's just desperate to get out this league like we all are but I hope he doesn't get too worried as really feel this time we're going the right way. COYP

I don't expect to win the league so expect top 3 this time and champs a bonus.

[Killerkline]

I can see where it comes from, he's just desperate to get out this league like we all are but I hope he doesn't get too worried as really feel this time we're going the right way. COYP

I don't expect to win the league so expect top 3 this time and champs a bonus.

I can’t see where it comes from! I’m not sure what else the owners, with in the realms of being realistic, can do. We’ve got a great infrastructure, ground, forward thinking coach, excellent assistant, made some tremendous signings. I know footballs not played on paper, but on the face of it where in a great place.

Goal - as to be promotion
Minimum - Top 4
Expectations - there’s clearly so many uncontrollable aspects, refereeing decisions, injuries etc. I do expect the league to be a lot more closely contested than previous seasons and that we play an attractive attacking brand of football.

[laddo]

I can see where it comes from, he's just desperate to get out this league like we all are but I hope he doesn't get too worried as really feel this time we're going the right way. COYP

I don't expect to win the league so expect top 3 this time and champs a bonus.

Nothing much good comes out of desperation and panic.