Come back stronger (lets hope so!)

[Ian]

Now that the friendlies are under way, it won't be long until we are sitting back in our favoured seats at Prenton Park (thank god!) A lot has changed since we left defeated at home to Bury on the last day of the season. Lots of rebuilding on and off the field and positive energy filtering down from the board to the manager, players and supporters.

So what are your thoughts for the season? Will we bounce straight back up? Will it be a lot tougher than expected? Have we signed the right players and will the team gel? And more importantly, has the catering improved?!

 

[Sparky]

In terms of predictions i think top 5 is something to aim for. Winning the league at the first time of asking is a tall order. That said, I'm amazed by the level of positivity around the club - their can't be too many clubs who have successive relegations and exceed season ticket sales the next year. Credit to Palios for his positive outlook and putting his money in off the pitch and having a top 3 budget on the pitch.

Credit also for bringing in a manager with good experience who in turn, has brought in players with winning experience at this level. Let's hope they stay fit.

I still think There are important gaps to be filled in the team and we will take time to gel you would think. But given our first few fixtures appear winnable, with a bit of momentum we could start the season well and go from there.

Like I say with a couple more additions I'd take a top 5 finish and a trip to Wembley in the FA trophy!

 

[Ian]

Like I say with a couple more additions I'd take a top 5 finish and a trip to Wembley in the FA trophy!

GB has mentioned he's still on the lookout for a few more players, so it will be interesting to see who else arrives.

 

[bring back the cowshed!]

I think it's too early to call. Certainly, everything is in place - committed ownership, experienced manager, healthy budget, some of the best players in the league and a loyal fan base. But as Sparky says, it will take time for the team to gel. We've seen more ins and outs this close season than for many years. What I can say is that I'll be disappointed if we don't get at least into the play-offs (after which it's a lottery). A real bonus to lift the spirits and swell the coffers would be a trip to Wembley in the FA Trophy or a decent FA Cup run, but these could be at the expense of league form.

 

[bigmart]

Its going to be tough as although we are going to have a decent budget the likes of Forest Green & Eastleigh will have bigger budgets & we are seen as a big team so teams will raise there game against us. A couple more decent signings and we should push for top 5

 

[Rockford's Love Child]

I feel more positive in pre-season than I have done for a decade and it is great that Palios has really backed the manager and we are favourites with the bookies. I don't expect us to go up automatically but I would be disappointed if we miss out on the play-offs.

That said, there is something of a question mark over the manager. He is obviously highly experienced and has been very successful at this level, but Luton are arguably a bigger club than ourselves and he did not manage to win promotion with the Hatters. I am fully behind him, but he will have to surpass his previous performance if Rovers are to be promoted.

If we don't go up, it is reassuring that Palios has stated the club can remain financially stable even if we are in the Conference for five years or more, so we are certainly not in a 'win or bust' situation.

 

[Boz]

Last season seems a lifetime away. Then we were looking at a new start, with a rookie manager, but a side that had a nucleus of players from the previous season. I felt that the 442 prediction of us finishing 17th was about right, others felt that was much too pessimistic. How wrong we all were!!

Fast forward 12 months. There has been a big turnaround in playing staff. Most of the new recruits are rated as good for this level, some like Mangan even better. However, they need time to gel and the squad could do with at least another striker and an injection of pace. Due to the personnel changes, we will start behind the likes of Grimsby, whove added the talented Bogle to the squad, while keeping the bulk of their play-off final team.

I would disagree with RLC re Brabin. A "very successful" manager would have history of taking a side back into the league, making play-offs is encouraging but no more. Gary Mills, now in charge at Wrexham, comes closer to that description, but it seems that the co-chairs preferred Brabin. I'd say in terms of his own career as a manager, it's almost last chance saloon. However if he does justify the Palios' support and get Rovers back into the league, he will earn considerable status. Much too early to judge if he's the right choice for the hot-seat.

My view is expectations are set too high. Most sides relegated out of the league don't get straight back up and we are in a different position to Bristol Rovers who achieved that last season. Realistically my aim would be still to be in contention for a play-off place come Grimsby at home.

As for the catering, Willow, who've done it (fairly badly) for a while are now sponsoring the Cowsheds stand, which is to be named after them. While the money is welcome, let's hope their product improves.

 

[bring back the cowshed!]

I feel more positive in pre-season than I have done for a decade and it is great that Palios has really backed the manager and we are favourites with the bookies. I don't expect us to go up automatically but I would be disappointed if we miss out on the play-offs.

That said, there is something of a question mark over the manager. He is obviously highly experienced and has been very successful at this level, but Luton are arguably a bigger club than ourselves and he did not manage to win promotion with the Hatters. I am fully behind him, but he will have to surpass his previous performance if Rovers are to be promoted.

I agree with most of what you've said, but think you are a bit negative about Gary Brabin. He got Cambridge to the play-off final to lose (unlucky) and then with Luton lost in the final on penalties (doubly unlucky). Luton took five years to get promoted and were very impatient with their managers. Gary did better than most. His career win percentage as a manager is a very decent 47%.

But you are right to be cautious about any manager. After all, who didn't think Micky Adams was the ideal appointment? If I have a worry about Gary, it's that he never seems to last long in any of his jobs. At Luton and Cambridge, he spent just over a year. In this two spells at Southport, he oversaw a total of just 27 games. And his last job at Everton ended after less than four months. He doesn't seem to have much staying power.

 

[Rockford's Love Child]

I agree with most of what you've said, but think you are a bit negative about Gary Brabin. He got Cambridge to the play-off final to lose (unlucky) and then with Luton lost in the final on penalties (doubly unlucky). Luton took five years to get promoted and were very impatient with their managers. Gary did better than most. His career win percentage as a manager is a very decent 47%.

But you are right to be cautious about any manager. After all, who didn't think Micky Adams was the ideal appointment? If I have a worry about Gary, it's that he never seems to last long in any of his jobs. At Luton and Cambridge, he spent just over a year. In this two spells at Southport, he oversaw a total of just 27 games. And his last job at Everton ended after less than four months. He doesn't seem to have much staying power.

Fair comments about Brabin, and living in Hertfordshire you are in a better position to judge his time at Luton than I am. The Hatters fans are genuinely quite negative about him, but for a club of their size anything less than promotion would have been deemed failure.

I would generally be completely positive about a manager with Brabin's record, but after the Adams experience I am a little more apprehensive. For all he has done for the club since arriving, Palios's choice of manager, or rather the decision to stick with him to the bitter end, is the only black mark against him.