It's that time of the year again. I know it's like fantasy football, but all the same it has to be done.

Where will Notts finish his year?

So I took 5 predictions from YouTube and averaged the respective finishing positions for each club to give some sort of statistic that will certainly be wrong and be another damn lie come May next year.

The 5 YouTubers that I took the predictions from were:

Tom and Jordan from The Pavis Perspective

Sophie and Matt from Matt SB

James from The 92

The odds are from Paddy Power (other betting sites are available)

All the predictions are prior to any signings this week.

Conclusions?

The top 3 look nailed on.

The bottom 4 look nailed on

4-12 looks like a lottery

I really think that Notts will outperform the statistics this year and that the new approach from The Brothers and Martin Paterson are reasons to be cheerful.

Interesting. I wouldn't say anyone is nailed on for anything before a ball has been kicked, but pundits tend to reach a consensus based on who has made the biggest signings in the summer. Our close season has been lacking in that respect and we're only placed relatively high up because of our performance last season. Personally I wouldn't fancy us either in their shoes, but fingers crossed MP will get us motoring.

Gillingham and the franchise also invested heavily last season and ended up in the bottom half. Salford have been nowhere for years. Walsall weren't fancied last season and nearly went up, and who would have bet on Crawley to go up the season before last? Conversely, Notts and Chesterfield were both fancied to push for promotion the seasons they were relegated. You really can't tell in this division.

When Saturday Comes magazine publishes a season preview in which a fan from each club predicts each division's final table and they average out the final positions like you have. But even fans from all 23 League Two clubs are often very wide of the mark. It's fascinating reading at the season's end though!

Notts have got a good defence & the defensive midfield area has been strengthened to support the defence.

The side looks like it will be more tougher & physical with opponents. We have new creative players in the wings & maybe Jodi in the number 10 position.

If Jatta stays & he fires on all cylinders we have one of the best strikers in the league. We have Dennis & Traoré to back him up, & maybe a new striker to come in..

I think with this squad we can make the playoffs, maybe in sixth or seventh place. I don't think we can make the automatics, but you can always hope.

If you pin me down to a final position, I'll say Notts will make 6th place. My top three will be MK Dons, Bristol Rovers, & Salford in no particular order. The final three playoff places Chesterfield, Walsall, & Swindon.

I think Notts will finish 4th. That’s just what my gut is telling me. January could be a turning point, if we bring in stronger players, we might push for 4th or even higher. But there’s also a chance we could fall behind. I’d feel a lot more confident if we had another proven goal scorer at this level.

I believe the top three will be Bristol Rovers, Walsall, and MK Dons.

In 5th I’ve got Chesterfield, then Shrewsbury in 6th, Gillingham in 7th, and Salford City in 8th.

For relegation, I think Barrow and Newport County will go down.

With all our changes, a positive prediction needs a leap of faith. I'm ready to make that leap for MP, working with the technical board, to drive us up the table.

6th place again!

After just 2 seasons, I've already got too much dislike for the contending teams to make a promotion prediction. But from Mapperley's prediction table above, I think we'll finish over the likes of Colchester and Grimsby. The bottom two looks right - Accrington & Harrogate

Edited August 1Aug 1 by theAnticlough

i think notts will finish 7th.

we had everything in place within our first season back in league two, the promotion, fans atmosphere and togetherness quickly lost. i think this season we have more pressure because of the 'promotion' target, and i do think we are capable of doing better than what i am predicting. i do think that its going to be tough, but i do think martin paterson will win fans over regardless of where we finish.

gillingham might be in the autos, along with salford and mk dons.

i think the leagues first place will be between them.

chesterfield and grimsby look good enough for the playoffs.

both bromley and barnet i think will struggle. i know people are expecting accrington and newport, but i think they will be fine.

I'm remaining optimistic. I do think we will make the playoffs because MP will instill discipline and fight which often makes the difference at this level.

Also we have arguably strengthened and also added some depth to all the midfield areas.

We will be lucky to replace Didsy, but if we can get a proven goalscorer and keep AJ then I can see a push for top 3.

Or maybe I'm dreaming a little 😴

Personally I think Notts will finish anywhere between 6th and 10th. Because it will take Players time to adopt to MP's methods, preseason results mean nothing once the Nitty Gritty of League Football begins. Hopefully the Magpies Head Coach will be allowed to do things his way, and get No Interference from the Director Of Football or other Board members, let MP get on with the job he's being paid to do.

Swindon I think may surprise people and have every Chance of a Play off spot and may be in with a Chance of automatics. Ian Holloway is one Hell of a Coach, as he proved last season. MK Dons have to get Promoted, the amount of money they've been throwing around means anything less will be a Disaster. Chesterfield will get into the playoffs again. Keep an eye on Barnet, they have a NO Nonsense Head Coach and if he gets backing from the owners could see the Bees spring a few surprises. Salford may finally produce a decent season, they certainly had Notts number last season, beating the Magpies 3-0 at their place and 3-1 at the Lane. As for the Rest it's anyone's Guess. Data doesn't Win Games, Goals Do.

I thought MK would win the league last season but they were horrific, I think they'll do better but I'm not convinced they stroll to the title by May like some seem to think. Also seen a lot of people tip Chesterfield too, I'm going to stick my neck out here and say they don't finish top 3 this season. Play-offs for them again.

I think it's really hard to say with any confidence who'll do well because the form from the better teams last season in the run in was shocking. I wouldn't be surprised to see Walsall suffer a play-off/shocking form hangover with them bottom half this season. I'd have Swindon and Fleetwood as dark horses to crash the play-offs this season too.

We are really hard to call, I think it's going two ways, we'll either do better than last season and finish higher than 6th or we'll linger around the mid-table/bottom half.

I think Bristol Rovers will find it hard to settle in League Two. I don’t see them making the playoffs. MK Dons should do better, but I think 3rd place is about right for them. If we get off to a good start, I think we could finish 2nd. But to be on the safe side, I’d say 5th is more likely. Walsall should be in the playoffs too, and I’d expect Chesterfield to be up there as well.

I don’t think Grimsby will make the playoffs. Salford City have made some strong signings, I’d put money on them to win the league. Colchester and Cambridge United should be in the mix for the playoffs. I think Oldham and Cheltenham will go down.

I think the table will look like this.

1st Gillingham
2nd Salford
3rd MK Dons

4th Notts
5th Bristol Rovers
6th Walsall
7th Chesterfield

23rd Cheltenham
24th Barrow

I share Martin Paterson's view that eight teams are in strong contention for the top three spots, making the competition quite intense. The fact that four teams can be promoted adds to the excitement, as it enhances our chances of reaching the playoffs. I don't believe we've weakened our position by selling Alex Bass or by failing to secure a deal for David McGoldrick. In fact, our squad is already quite strong, and our depth has significantly improved, positioning us well for the challenges ahead.

This was mine

1. Bristol Rovers

2. Milton Keynes Dons

3. Chesterfield

4. Crewe Alexandra

5. Walsall

6. Grimsby Town

7. Salford City

8. Colchester United

9. Notts County

10. Crawley Town

11. Gillingham

12. Cambridge United

13. Fleetwood Town

14. Bromley

15. Barnet

16. Swindon Town

17. Barrow

18. Tranmere Rovers

19. Oldham Athletic

20. Shrewsbury Town

21. Harrogate Town

22. Cheltenham Town

23. Newport County

24. Accrington Stanley

I'd go with those @ARLukomski apart maybe Crewe being 4th.

I'd also still like to feel that when we fill that No.9 shirt it will give us a boost and we will push for automatics. (Please )

9 of the first 12 games completed. 3 quarters of the way through the first quarter of the season.

Apart from MK and Gillingham looks like the pundits weren't too far off the mark.

Looking forward to reviewing where we are after Crewe, Oldham and Swindon.

@TheSkipper is very close with his predictions. I’m glad MK Dons are struggling, because their way of building a team seems to be spending money on players they think are the best from nearby clubs. It doesn’t look like they do much research into what those players are like or how they’ll fit in. There doesn’t seem to be a proper plan for bringing them together.

Gillingham are the best team I’ve seen so far. It’s not just because they beat us 1-0, but also how they’ve played against other teams who look more settled than we do. They seem well organised and confident.

On 22/09/2025 at 14:40, OoooooTommy said:

@TheSkipper is very close with his predictions.

Yes. Agreed! Looks like the prize money is heading to TheSkipper at the moment. Wonder how he knew about Gillingham? 🤔