I think the first week in June will be an important one for Notts. The new coach needs to be appointed before this week is out & the work to recruit suitable players for a promotion push needs to proceed soon after.

I think that League 2 is going to be a strong competitive league next season. Four teams coming down from League 1, Crawley, Bristol R, Shrewsbury, & Cambridge, will have a point to prove, then there's Colchester, Chesterfield, Salford, Crewe, Walsall, Grimsby & not forgetting MK Dons who will all be tough cookies to compete against.

On paper, the coming season in League 2 will maybe see a dozen decent teams, including Notts, competing for three automatic promotion places.

I think it's going to be much harder for Notts next season no matter who is appointed as Head Coach. I think League 2 will be much stronger, & I think that only the most consistent teams, results wise, will get success in 25/26.

So what do my fellow PON members think about Notts's prospects this coming season. Do you think Notts can achieve automatic promotion or is the playoffs the most we can hope for? 

Who will be those teams that Notts have to look out for & do you think it will be a harder task to achieve promotion next season. Are you hopeful?

I agree with the teams that you have listed as teams we need to look out for.

We urgently need to start moving on the signing of players, I think we need some experienced players along with some players that are a bit tougher and savvy, that can flirt with a bit of rule breaking,  antagonise opponents and are willing to approach the ref when required, other teams in the division all seem to have these sorts of players, and so, although, not the ways Notts have previously played, I do feel we need to bring an element of this into our team and game.

I understand the worry within our fan base, but not so much the doom and gloom. It just feels too early for it, but Notts has this element of looking on the grim side, and whilst it's not me. I do realise how the unknown can bring concern.

This said, I am a little baffled with the criticism directed towards the Reedtz. I don't think they have done anything wrong.

A lot of fans wanted Stuart Maynard gone, and I personally think it's a good thing that they are not rushing to make an appointment. They have generally done well with bringing in the right people. So, I trust their judgement and guidance.

We have a good foundation, and are maintaining a solid squad to move forward. We are not having to do complete rebuilds ahead of every campaign, and there's a lot of quality within our squad. The right manager might also be able to get the best out of players like Kellan Gordon, who does well but struggles with consistency. Whilst I acknowledge the disappointment of David McGoldrick not renewing his stay. I praise the board for reviewing his wages and realising that a portion of it could be better spent.

I think 5 quality additions which are first-team candidates, not backups or rotational, but signings that could fit our starting XI would be a massive boost.

Our first two seasons in League Two have shown improvements, whilst some might not be happy with the level of progress. Football should never be rushed, the club's future shouldn't be risked, and balancing expectations along with realistic ambitions always does come at a risk. However, we are investing wisely, and I think that should bring some hope moving forward.

Will Jarvis and Jodi Jones will be interesting to see, I think Jodi will get his confidence back. Their ability to be direct could throw an unknown element of creativity back into our team. They are not easily predictable and are skilful enough to change things, which, with a more attacking-minded midfield, should be a significant improvement.

The main thing I would say is we can't focus solely on one area. We can't settle for two key players. A good keeper to rival Alex Bass, another quality wing-back, some more strong leaders, and not relying on two strikers would be a smart move. 5 quality players might not be an easy task, and I wouldn't want us to throw the playing budget at achieving this, but we could be looking at bringing some players in for fees and signing good free agents to balance things out.

The rest of our squad can be made up of the talent within our youth ranks. Their time might be limited, but having 2 on the bench at times would give them an opportunity, so I do feel quite optimistic about the season ahead.

I expect League 2 to be very even next season. A dozen teams pushing for promotion is likely at this stage. We know we are getting a coach and the appointment will be season defining. We need to replace Ditzy. That much is certain. You'd hope there will be other signings. If we stand still, we'll be lucky to finish mid table. 

I don’t think it’ll be any tougher than last season but I agree that it’ll still be competitive towards the top. MK Dons and Gillingham can’t be as bad as they have been next season, especially with the financial backing they have. I’d expect them to do a lot better but other than Salford and Walsall I wasn’t overly impressed with any other the so-called better teams; yet we still failed to beat a lot of them! That is where we’ll need to see an improvement, we were more than comfortable against the weaker sides and usually got the better of the mid-table drifters too but if we want to go up we simply need to start getting more wins against the teams up the top (easier said than done I know).

Hard to gauge the teams coming down, they all had pretty tough and bad seasons (their goal differences are in and around -30 or worse which tells a story) sometimes that lack of momentum can carry through into the next season. Shrewsbury would be my pick to be the most likely to repeat the feats of FGR and Carlisle and have back-to-back relegations. Finished rock bottom, got a current owner that can’t afford them and is desperately trying to sell... Not a great place to be in.

I still think finishing in the play-offs would be a decent season, as long as this time we go into them and actually feel like we’ve got half a chance of winning them. I think once the head coach is announced and the first lot of signings come in we’ll have a better idea about where we might finish up.

yes

Hard one based off one signing and no manager. Based on my confidence in the brothers from what they've pulled off previously, I'm optimistic. They saw we were fragile at the back after our first season back in L2 which was thoroughly addressed and have replaced players like Rodrigues and Langstaff with equally good talent. The issue is now, we've had quite a bit of talent go in the last 6 months and it not really been backfilled (Crowley etc). To map where we need to be, we need a creative and technically astute player to play behind the forward (possibly 2 given McGoldrick going).

I think the reason for the lack of comms is that they're trying to figure out how best to opmitise, given they've got a bit of a blank slate with a bit of cash to play about with it. Gagliardi has barely got his feet under the table and has already had to get his hands dirty. Will he look and say that the way we effectively and economically adapt is by changing formation? And these questions all link up to the manager and preferred style of play they bring to the club. Not to mention that we really need a experienced and vast support staff, because we're very much lacking in that department - we effectively fell off a cliff when the Saunders brothers left last season.

I'm waiting for their sort of analysis/season end statement they've mentioned before I start to **** myself.

Just seen JJ starting for Malta today!!!!...i thought their Manager had given up with JJ???...let's hope he doesn't get crocked....