Next season we need at least 4 teams to finish with less point (hopefully more) but which four do you expect to finish bottom.

I’m going for Leyton Orient, Burton, Cambridge and Bromley.

Wow, not a confidence boosting thread here. I think we need to be more optimistic than thinking of finishing in 20th and just missing relegation.

The Owners of this club will have been preparing for Notts possibly getting promotion since after Xmas. They have Football Radar that can help them to make some very shrewd signings pre season. We already have a strong first 11 & bench at League 2 level. Several strong additions could make the Notts side very competitive in League 1.

I think that Notts will be looking to achieve at least 56 points. Wigan achieved that with 14 wins and 14 draws giving them a 16th place finish last season, with a good cushion to the team that was relegated in 21st place. Any more points above 56 would be a bonus.

Oddschecker has Wimbledon in the bottom 4, with Notts 5th or 6th from bottom.

As @Robbie has said, the Brothers haven't gone to all this cost and trouble to fight a relegation battle.

The basis we have is so strong that 5 or 6 new signings should see us in lower middle table.

That would be a good start 👌

https://www.oddschecker.com/football/english/league-1/english-league-one/winner

Even 56 points would mean squeaky bum time for some of the season @Robbie! Ideally we want four other teams to oblige and finish on about 20 points each so we can have a stress-free season for a change. Three of the four promoted teams have survived for about the last five seasons in a row, so history is (mostly) on our side.

So who are the candidates? Ideally the franchise, but that won't happen due to their bottomless money pit. Bromley are rather one dimensional and may get found out unless they can continue their home form. Burton have been circling the drain for a few years. Wimbledon are struggling to cope with this division financially and had a narrow escape last season. Many people don't seem to fancy Leyton Orient for some reason and they're probably better informed than me. Doncaster struggled for a lot of last season and were saved by the points they got in August and September. And of course there's always the possibility of someone like Wigan or Barnsley getting dragged in.

It's daunting being in a very competitive new division with four relegation spots, but we made it on merit and have no reason to feel inferior. Hopefully we'll have nothing to do with the relegation scrap. But if anyone can come up with more potentially crap teams it might calm my nerves!

It's a fair question. Patto will be pitting his wits against an even stronger set of coaches. He's doing a great job but is the 8th youngest manager in the 92. There are some teams with huge budgets. On Monday the owners said promotion doesn't change their plans much. Just adding a bit more quality or words to that effect.

Bromley finished last season weakly. Doncaster and Wimbledon have run out of momentum and were pretty limited to begin with. Hopefully another team has a car crash season and/or points deduction (harsh I know).

Of course we all hope for better than 20th. Mid table would be fantastic especially if plenty of home wins are served up.

And a cup run please!!!

Looking at the last three seasons in League 1 the fourth from bottom club relegated got 44 points in 23/24, 46 points in 24/25 & 49 points in 25/26 which was outlier compared to the first two. 50 points is widely regarded as the classic safety benchmark. 56 + points should be comfortable.

I think that if Notts treat every game one at a time & prepare for that game & focus on that game entirely like they have under Martin Paterson this season, & aim to win every game that they play, I think Notts will be able to compete with any team in League 1 & shouldn't have to worry who's below them.

4 hours ago, Robbie said:

Wow, not a confidence boosting thread here. I think we need to be more optimistic than thinking of finishing in 20th and just missing relegation.

Sorry @Robbie but I’m trying to be realistic here, it’s not going to be a walk in the park it’s going to be a tough league, points will be hard to come by, if Notts finish 5th from bottom I’ll be happy with that obviously I hope and want them to finish higher but as I said we need AT LEAST 4 teams to be worse. It’s not a negative thread just a discussion to see what others think.

3 hours ago, Sheffield Pie said:

It's a fair question.

Thank you.

56 minutes ago, Fan of Big Tone said:

Sorry @Robbie but I’m trying to be realistic here, it’s not going to be a walk in the park it’s going to be a tough league, points will be hard to come by, if Notts finish 5th from bottom I’ll be happy with that obviously I hope and want them to finish higher but as I said we need AT LEAST 4 teams to be worse. It’s not a negative thread just a discussion to see what others think.

Thank you.

Of course it won't be a walk in the park. It is a big step up for the Club, & there will be some very difficult matches against some top sides. The Club will have to recruit well in the summer to try to ensure that the squad, all of the squad can play to the level required. If players become injured or suspended the players that replace them will need to be very able deputies.

But it's not just that the squad should be stronger, it's the way that the Head Coach and players treat every single game that they will play.

When Martin prepares for a match his focus is entirely on the club that his team will play. He will prepare his players one match at a time, & he will aim to win that match. He won't look at the matches ahead. He will play one match at a time. He won't look at the league table, his focus will be on one match, & when that match is over he'll prepare his players for the next match, then the next.

And this is the reason why I have confidence that Notts will compete well in League One.

And one more thing. Martin has experience of winning promotion, but he also has experience of saving a club from relegation in League One. Burton Albion. Another reason to be confident.