I certainly think the bookies have it wrong. Injuries will play a key part this season as they will for all clubs in this league, if we keep our best players fit for most of the season I think we'll be fine. Everyone pulling in the same direction and getting behind the manager and the board will certainly help.

Maybe we are the least favourite for promotion rather than most favourite to go down!! 

Wish I was as optimistic,I think the bookmakers won’t be far off the mark given the business we’ve done and pre-season

blueboo wrote:

Bluebirds15 wrote:

Wish I was as optimistic,I think the bookmakers won’t be far off the mark given the business we’ve done and pre-season

Pratt Hooper Youseff Tyler Haines Foulston ?

I just don’t believe the squad as a whole has improved at all. Pratt whilst a good signing in paper, if you read opposition forums like myself whilst at my work desk, he was less fondly thought of by Wealdstone fans and has and an underwhelming 2 years there. Will he be the same player that helped us get promoted? I believe Mcootie is a better player than hopper. Tyler I must admit I like but the part which confuses me is we have 2 right backs in ossai and rigg as well as Rutty able to play there. Do you need 3 right backs? What’s the thought process here. I have no doubt that the other 3 young lads are talented but the bigger picture is they have little to no experience in men’s football bar the u23 sides at there respective clubs which by colliers own admission In the past are basically keep ball exercises. Youssef and Haines are not close to smile who we’ve lost albeit it’s hard to judge bearing in mind the highest level of opposition we’ve faced is 2 leagues below. Add to that the fact we’ve lost our most influential player over the last decade I don’t believe the bookies are that wide of the mark. People will say I’m a pessimist, I believe I’m a realist however if I set my expectations low then I will be delirious if we get in the playoffs. Either way I’ll be there week in week out at home and a sprinkling of away games. Come on you bluebirds

blueboo wrote:

Smile more influential than Sandell  ? Rigg and Ossai are both midfield players or at least that’s what I’m told and they certainly played there for Weymouth Bath and Ossai was listed at Palace as a midfielder. Have you read Glos fans forum they believe Hopper is a top striker and I bet he scores more than big Nick. Pratt as you state had a poor season but did finish top scorer again. Yuseff unknown as is Haines but so was Twine, Smile will be missed as is any time player, ie Pratt Twine Sandell Beano Big Al the list goes on. Interesting read in today’s GH. See you Saturday pal.

I was referring to tindle regarding most influential. Yeah agree hopper had a good rapport with the Gloucester fans, that was 3 seasons ago so let’s wait and see. Rigg played right back / right wing back until ossai cane who then played right back / right wing back moving rigg into midfield. Rigg is a better right back than midfielder. If they are midfielders as you suggest then our midfield list is as follows. Rigg, ossai, Klukowski, Guthrie, youssef, Haines, Evans, downing, George and trialist 1 or whatever his name was on Saturday vying for 3 positions going by the formation we’ve played to date. Unable to make Saturday and not a bad thing considering prices at St Albans but will be there Tuesday. Fingers crossed for a strong start

Last edited by Bluebirds15 (01/8/2019 9:47 AM)

Jesus, it starts already! Of course bookmakers get it wrong! I won a fortune the year we won the SPL because we were something stupid like 20/1 to get promoted as champions! That was a very easy £400 odd quid I picked up.. As for this season. Let's be real. What have we lost? Smile, Tindle, McCootie... Right Smile on his day was capable of moments of pure magic, passing second to none and creative in the middle.. Until he ran into a battling CM who harassed him off the ball and then he became about as useful as tits on a nun. On his day he was incredible but I don't share this belief that he will be as sorely missed as most seem to think he will. Tindle, well we played damn near all of last season without him and with McDonald fit, many would argue that with Parselle, Richards, McDonald and now the young boy Rutty tossing up for 2 CB positions that Tindle would have been surplus to requirement anyway. On his day a massive presence for Chippenham but also very culpable at times. Been with us damn near a decade so was always going to be a sad loss when he moved on but personally I think we have done good business at the back and that will one of our strengths this year. Pratt and Hopper in McCootie out... Easiest one to defend, loved Nick but more often than not clumsy on the ball, fitness called into question on many an occasion leaving us light up top. I cannot (touchwood) see Pratt or Hopper having the same problem, both very fit lads who can go for 90 and get themselves back up for the following week. Wealdstone bought Pratt as a Ferrari and played him like a Fiat! His strength was always playing that hard grafting defend from the front type striker, creating freedom for his partner/partners to be effective.. Sandell is a prime example. I cannot count the amount of times Dave created something of nothing, or was too tricky in the box to not be bought down for the pen. He will be just as effective this time around I am sure. As for the drop... Well, it only takes 4 teams to be weaker than we are this season and I can think of maybe 6/7 straight off the bat that will be. All this pre-season clamour about who will do what is fairly difficult to justify as who knows what will happen when the ball starts flying around. Right now, hard to look past Havant isn't it, Billericay have bought well. But at the other end of the table. They have Eastbourne 100/1 as well. Have you seen how well they have bought! new gaffer in Bradbury (The man behind Havant's promotion from the NLS) and some decent players have followed him. Greg Luer in from Woking and countless other strong signings.. If they get relegated, i'll be as stunned as if we are. We will be comfortable this year, sadly that is what we can hope for. Look at some of the budgets we are competing against. Last year Torquay and Woking were predicted to be 1&2 but you always felt 3rd down was anyone's to play for. This year, I cannot recall a stronger division than this one. That playoff at the end of the year is going to be brutal and I will lay it down now if anyone can call which 6 teams will make up that playoff, I shall eat my hat, scarf and a good portion of my underwear! And as for the last comment "Real Fans" will be at St Albans, I know plenty of "Real" fans that can't make it, let's not start the infighting before the season has even kicked off, we all bleed the same colour!