I've gone for
11th, but I think it's more of a guessing game this season than any in recent years. Normally in Division 4 there is one team miles better than the rest, one basket-case club who are basically down by Easter and then you can throw a blanket over the rest. This season I think will see much less predictability and a lot of surprises. There are likely to be several clubs in the bottom three divisions who'll go to the wall so relegation may not be a concern - but surviving financially could be a struggle for all but a handful! I also think that clubs like ours with thin squads will find it hard to play twice a week for the majority of the season, and if we get injuries or suspensions then we'll find it hard to cope.
However,
as I said on the podcast last week, we've got one of the strongest first-choice back lines in Div 4, and I like the attacking signings we've made too. And although we must have one of the smallest incomes in the Football League, we by-and-large live within our means and so I think we'll weather the financial storm. We've also got stability from having the same manager and a similar backroom setup to recent years, and a squad who've not had too much turnover. So although I think we lack the quality needed to win promotion, I can see a mid-table to top-half finish. And that'll do just fine given all the turbulence.
As always, my biggest plea is for us to play more expansive football. I go to games to be entertained, and I'd rather we played well and lost than won by being physical and playing percentage balls for 90 minutes. I know that might be a minority view, but there must at least be a halfway house!
