Last season ended with a bit of a whimper really. We had a really good start, with a number of good results and some really good performances. But it did'nt last very long and by the time Christmas had been and gone many fans were left fearing the worst. Fortunately we put a little bit of a run together that looked as if it could sneak us into the top 10, but again we couldn't maintain the form and tailed off. The highlight of the season for me was drubbing Leyton Orient at Brisbane Road, they'd had a really good and unexpected start to the season but we played them off the park and won 4-2. Worst moment isn't really one game in the season, but we had a series of really poor results and shocking performances at home which is unusual especially looking back at recent seasons.
How do you think you will do this season?
I hope we can build on the positives from last season, we need a lot more consistency and really need Danny Wilson to find out his strongest team. There was too much chopping and changing last season which I believe is partly the reason we never got any momentum going. Being our centenary season I would love for us to make a good going of the season and I hope for at least a play-off finish. However my head says it will be the same as last season with a mid-table finish on the cards again.
What's your squad like?
The squad's not bad, if we can keep everyone fit and play our strongest side. Unfortunately what most people would class as our strongest team Danny Wilson doesn't. We desperately need a right winger that will allow James Brown, our best player, to move up front where there's no doubt he is strongest. Keeping hold of Joel Porter is a real bonus as he is first class at linking up play between midfield and the strikers. So far we've signed Ritchie Jones a midfielder from man utd, who hopefully will bring some much needed cretivity to the centre of the park. Alan Power has joined from Nottingham Forest, again a central midfielder but I expect him not to play a great deal and think he may have been signed as 'one for the future'. Finally we've signed a 19-year-old keeper from Newcastle, Mark Cook, again could be one for the future but he can't be any worse than the keepers we had last season so you never know.
What's your manager like and will he still be there at the end of the season?
I am not a great fan of Danny Wilson. His signings, so far, have left a lot to be desired and he seems to have an inabililty to change things around during a match. We lost numerous games last season when the other team made changes and Wilson couldn't see these changes happening, left our team the same and eventually we were punished. Also his idea of chasing a game is putting as many strikers on the pitch as possible, at times last year we had four or five forwards but no formation or fluency. I suspect a bad start and we could be looking for a new boss before Christmas. However I do hope he goes on to prove me wrong and show us the skills he has that got Barnsley to the Premiership and I won't mind eating humble pie if he does.
Are you happy with your chairman/backroom staff?
Without owners, IOR, we would most likely be out of business. Every year they pump money into the club to allow it to keep going. Since they took over just over 10 years ago we have continually progressed and now we're a lot more stable than we have ever been at any point in our history. Long may their reign continue!
Which team do you want to beat the most and why?
Probably the answer that most fans will give, especially since we have no real local derbies next season, is Leeds. Their fans get the presdictable big club syndrome just like Sheffield Wednesday and Nottingham Forest fans did in recent years. For some reason they believe they have a God given right to be playing in higher league than this. I don't believe any of that crap and you are as good as the league tables suggest. Also this season could be a tough one for them because what I saw of them last year they looked nothing special!
Predict your champions and runners up, the play-off teams and the four to go down
This is where it all gets really tough as I dont think there are any outstanding candidates that you look at and think 'they're going to run away with the league'. No doubt Leeds and Leicester will be there or there abouts but every team is so close that its hard to predict. I fancy Southend to be pretty good, Carlisle as well are both good shouts for play-off finishes. I think Huddersfield will be the suprise of the season, especially since they have sold 16,000 season tickets and they've signed some decent players. Hopefully we'll be in the mix too. Four to go down is again tough and like last season could be decided by people that go into administration and lose 10 points. I think Yeovil, Cheltenham, Hereford and Stockport will all struggle.