2017/18 League Two Predictions

[ARLukomski 𝕏 ARLukomski Instagram declanweliczko_arlki]

Bit late but what are your full table predictions for the League Two season? Btw these are different to my first predictions. I updated them when the transfer window shut. Some might be strange considering their start to the season. E.g. Chesterfield, Accrington, Newport, Colchester. Remember, we're 5 games in, a lot can change.

 

1.Luton Town (C,P) - By far the best squad in the division. Hylton, Collins and Berry scored 59 goals between them last season in this league for different teams and are sure to be formidable this season. Shinnie and McCormack are also great signings for this division. Got nearly the exact same spine as the team that finished 4th. Should take them one further.

 

2.Coventry City (P) - Got a manager who knows this level and the club very well. McNulty and Beavon will score goals at this level and Jodi Jones is a good young talent as we have seen. Rod McDonald has won this league before and is solid at the back.  Their owners might be donkeys but they have a good enough squad to go back up. 

 

3.Mansfield Town (P) - I hate them. I really hate them. All Notts fans do. With their fans up their own arses every minute and their 3 sided shed of a ground. But Steve Evans has won many promotions. He's assembled a decent enough squad with the standout signings probably Calum Butcher (2 consecutive promotions from L1) and David Mirfin. They haven't had a great start but things will pick up. See Rotherham's 2012-13 season for similarities. 

 

4.Lincoln City - A lot of teams have won promotion from the Conference and gone straight through. Danny Cowley has proven he's a good young manager. They have made some decent signings too including Michael Bostwick, Neal Eardley and Jordan Maguire-Drew. Plus they've kept hold of the core of players which won promotion. Matt Green should assure goals.

 

5.Colchester United (P) - COLU have a quite a decent team. Kurtis Guthrie scored a dozen last season before picking up an injury. They have quality in the team including Sean Murray, Craig Slater, Ben Dickenson and Kyel Reid. I didn't see Blackpool being anywhere near the play-offs but hey they won promotion and I can see Colchester surprising a few.

 

6.Stevenage - Signing Danny Newton and keeping Matt Godden means Stevenage have one of the most potent strike forces in the division. Keeping Ben Kennedy was important too. They almost got into the top 7 last season but just missed out. If they can continue their strong start and reignite the home form they had in the earlier part of this year, then a play-off spot is a real possibility. 

 

7.Exeter City - They have had the best start out of anyone and the Grecians seemed to have got over their Play-Off final defeat. They might have lost Ollie Watkins and David Wheeler but they have made some decent signings and have a solid centre-back partnership with Jordan Moore-Taylor and Troy Brown. Another play off finish is likely. 

 

8.Cambridge United - Getting rid of Luke Berry is big for Cambridge. It was very difficult to predict which four teams would make the play-offs and Cambridge will be up there but selling Luke Berry is big. A goalscoring midfielder which is rare for this level. Ibehre is a good signing who will provide goals. They will miss out. Just. Just. 

 

9.Swindon Town - David Flitcroft knows this level well having previously won promotion with Bury. They have brought in some experienced players this summer with the likes of Chris Robertson, Ben Purkiss and Matt Taylor. Also bought in some younger players to help like Timi Elsnik on loan from Derby, Paul Mullin and also spent 350,000 on Kaiyne Woolery whilst also keeping Lawrence Vigouroux. A play off spot is a possibility and they have bounced back straight away when they have been relegated to this league before but their lack of defensive cover is worrying and they haven't got a the potency in attack like Stevenage or maybe even Colchester have.

 

10.Notts County - Yes. 10th. Calm. We've had a good start to the season but the play-offs is just out of reach unless we sign a quick striker. But if we're gonna play Alessandra there, we need a backup winger. We have a solid partnership in Brisley and Duffy and it's nice see us press teams when we don't have the ball but we lack that little bit more up top if we're going to sneak in and if we do get injuries then our chances are very limited. A good togetherness is something we have and I am thankful for it and it's good to see us grinding out wins when we're not at our best. A little money spent in January on players and we could finish higher. But for now, 10th it is. 

 

11.Chesterfield - Might be strange seeing as they've had a bad start. But I still feel they've bought decent players. Gozie Ugwu scored 17 goals in the National League last season for Woking. Chris O'Grady is an alright player for this level. Louis Reed is a good loan signing whilst also having the experience of Scott Wiseman and Robbie Weir to call upon. But their woeful season last season and continuing boardroom shenanigans means they will need to stablise first.

 

12.Carlisle United - Despite a dreadful run of form in early 2017, Carlisle still managed to get into the play-offs last season before losing to Exeter. Their defensive cover this season is very limited and whilst they do have some alright creative players like Jamie Devitt, Jason Kennedy and Nicky Adams, there are better teams in this division and the Cumbrians may need to take a step backwards to go forwards.

 

13.Grimsby Town - Russell Slade is a very safe option as manager with a lot of clubs and experience to his name. He almost got the Mariners promoted from this league in the 2005-06 season but just fell short. The former Notts manager has added experienced lower league players in the form of Nathan Clarke and Martyn Woolford along with promotion winner Karleigh Osborne and younger players such as Harry Cardwell, Sam Kelly, JJ Hooper and Mitch Rose. I can see them having a quiet season. Not being anywhere near relegation but just not having enough to get into the top 7.

 

14.Accrington Stanley - I feel slightly bad for putting Accy this low. But once the transfer window shuts, I can't make any further adjustments. They've had a good start to the season, scoring many and with John Coleman, who knows the club like the back of his hand, as manager then a play-off place could be on the cards. The promotion race is so tight this year that over half of the division nearly have a chance. They always find someway to defy the odds season after season and this year they might make the play offs. Not for me though.

 

15.Wycombe Wanderers - Might be controversial but I just don't see it this season. Gareth Ainsworth has done very well with a shoestring budget. They have the experience of Adebayo Akinfenwa, Nathan Tyson and Craig Mackail-Smith and solid peformers such as Joe Jacobson, Anthony Stewart and Matt Bloomfield as well as the quick and creative Paris Cowan-Hall. But I feel the teams I've put above Wycombe have just that little bit more. But as I said, the play off race is wide open.

 

16.Crewe Alexandra - David Artell has done well since taking over in January. He kept Crewe away from the bottom two and has signed experience performers like Chris Porter and Michael Raynes and has kept Chris Dagnall and the promising George Cooper but their lack of defensive cover is worrying and with a lot of young players in the squad, the play-offs and the top half maybe a bridge too far.

 

17.Barnet - Yes, I have put them this low despite the signing of Dave Tarpey who scored 44 goals in the National League South last season. Now they have one of the better striker forces in the division. Rossi Eames looks a very capable young manager but I'm still not sure about them just yet. They have kept John Akinde which was massively important but I still feel they need more in defence to make a further push up the table.

 

18.Port Vale - What is going on here? Michael Brown was appointed in January after the ill fated reign of Bruno Ribeiro. The squad was not sufficiently improved in January and they went down. There has been a mass clear out in the summer with many players leaving and many new players walking through the entrance doors of Vale Park but the Valliants won't go anywhere until Norman Smurthwaite is rid of. Vale are in a kind of similar to position as to what we were back in 2015-16 with a lot of players going out and a lot of new players coming in, as well as an inexperienced manager and an owner who the fans dislike very much. All this combined and Vale will be here for a while until a new owner is found.

 

19.Forest Green Ratbags - Dale Vince and his small ocean of vegan motion have had a tough start to life in the Football League conceding goals left, right and centre. Not helped by the fact young centre-back, Ethan Pinnock, was sold to Barnsley. They have the goals of Christian Doidge to help keep them up but their defensive record is very worrying. Whilst they have bought in experienced players such as Mark Roberts, Lee Collins and Scott Laird I can't see Mark Cooper's side doing much.

 

20.Yeovil Town - Another team who are conceding goals a lot, the Glovers have had a mixed start. The signing of Olufela Olomola on loan from Southampton has turned out well with the striker scoring 4 goals in his first 5 appearances. Jake Gray and Connor Smith are also decent captures but there squad stil feels very average and they have shown they need to stop leaking goals at a considerable rate to have a chance of staying up. They will stay up but with only a few games to go.

 

21.Crawley Town - Another season. Another new manager. Another overhaul of the playing squad. Another relegation battle? Probably. Crawley haven't been great since they came down from League One and I can only just see them escaping by a few points this time. Harry Kewell being in an inexperienced manager, his philosophy might take time to bed in especially with so many new players. They have the experience of Jimmy Smith, Dean Cox and Danny Bulman but also a few foreign players who might take time adjusting to this level of football. Staying up. Only just

 

22.Morecambe - The Shrimps are always tipped for relegation and always avoid it. Even at the most difficult times last season with the clubs finances dwindling, Jim Bentley managed to unite the team and fans and they got the results needed to stay clear of the bottom two. But with one of the smallest budgets in the division, the task gets harder every season.

 

Adam Campbell isn't a good signing at all. I despise that man. No end product. Former Notts players Vadaine Oliver and Garry Thompson have arrived at the Globe Arena but the Lancashire club have conceded 91 and 76 goals in the last two seasons respectively and it is only going to be an uphill task to keep the club in the Football League. Bentley will do it by a very small margin.

 

23.Newport County (R) - They escaped last year by the very slim skin of their very wobbly teeth. They also finished 22nd the previous season. Whilst they have made some alright signings and I feel like I should have put them higher, we are only 5 games in. There is a long way to go.

 

24.Cheltenham Town (R) - They stayed up just last season and were by far one of the worst teams I saw play at Meadow Lane last season. Their squad is worse than average. They might have kept Harry Pell but he was still part of the struggling team that finished 21st last season. And whilst they have a promising youngster in Mohamed Eisa, I can't see anything else other than relegation for the Robins.

[william1984]

Think we will finish above Mansfield this season and make playoffs or just outside but not by much. think Carlisle will be up there for automatic promotion also.

[samwatto2008]

Bottom half of the table looks good to me. 10th is very very harsh on Notts. Anything less than play offs this season is a failure IMO. That was the target set out and the target should be met with the money being pumped into the club right now. My league is as follows. Cant really predict a play off winner so i went with a bias opinion. 

1.Luton Town (C,P) - 

2.Exeter City (P) 

3.Coventry City (P)

 

4. Mansfield Town

5. Wycombe 

6. Stanley

7. Notts County (P)

 

8.Cambridge United - 

9. Stevenage

10. Colchester United

11.Lincoln

12.Carlisle United -

13.Grimsby Town

14. Chesterfield

 

15.Wycombe Wanderers

16.Crewe Alexandra -

17.Barnet -

18.Port Vale

19.Forest Green Ratbags

20.Yeovil Town

21.Crawley Town -

22.Morecambe - 

 

23.Newport County (R) - 

24.Cheltenham Town (R) - 

[ARLukomski 𝕏 ARLukomski Instagram declanweliczko_arlki]

10 minutes ago, samwatto2008 said:

Bottom half of the table looks good to me. 10th is very very harsh on Notts. Anything less than play offs this season is a failure IMO. That was the target set out and the target should be met with the money being pumped into the club right now. My league is as follows. Cant really predict a play off winner so i went with a bias opinion. 

1.Luton Town (C,P) - 

2.Exeter City (P) 

3.Coventry City (P)

 

4. Mansfield Town

5. Wycombe 

6. Stanley

7. Notts County (P)

 

8.Cambridge United - 

9. Stevenage

10. Colchester United

11.Lincoln

12.Carlisle United -

13.Grimsby Town

14. Chesterfield

 

15.Wycombe Wanderers

16.Crewe Alexandra -

17.Barnet -

18.Port Vale

19.Forest Green Ratbags

20.Yeovil Town

21.Crawley Town -

22.Morecambe - 

 

23.Newport County (R) - 

24.Cheltenham Town (R) - 

Agree about if we don't get play offs it's a failure. Me and my brother have both said that. If we spend a little bit of money in January on the squad in the right areas we might just sneak into the top 7.

[samwatto2008]

@ARLukomski I just see another Ricardo Moniz season if we buy more in January, if we recruit in January we must sell or release. Can't afford to have a wage bill a mile long. 

[ARLukomski 𝕏 ARLukomski Instagram declanweliczko_arlki]

@samwatto2008 We don't need to buy much in January. A striker and that's probably it unless injuries happen. We also need to send Saunders, Hodge, Searson, Dearle, Howes, Osborne and maybe Bird out on loan. 

[DangerousSausage]

Excellent post. I also see us falling slightly short as even a couple of injuries would really hurt us. Also agree that we need to send some players out on loan if we're not going to use them, particularly Bird (even the Conference North would be a higher level than he's used to and would hopefully be a stepping stone to the first team).

I don't have such an in-depth knowledge of League Two but your table looks about right. I also don't really rate Wycombe based on what I saw a couple of weeks back, they look bang average.

[Chris Website URL Visit Site 𝕏 fmcj10 Instagram fmcj10]

I'll post my predictions later, but this is an excellent topic well worthy of being discussed.

I think Forest Green and Lincoln may slump towards the relegation zone, they haven't really impressed me so far.

[liampie]

1 coventry city

2 wycombe 

3 luton town

 

4 exeter

5 cambridge 

6 notts

7 stevenage

 

8 stanley

9 port vale

10 swindon

11 chesterfield

12 barnet

13 grimsby

14 carlisle

 

15 colchester

16 crewe

17 mansfield

18 yeovil

19  crawley

20 lincoln

21 cheltenham

22 morecambe

 

23 forest green

24 newport