12th

i know its a bit of a cliche, but its all about consolidation as far as im concerned........

Nah, fook it, blind optimism you say? Err 7th then!!

6TH

8th.

Does the winner get a prize?

well im going 6th too

14th. (sorry but I reckon there are some decent big teams around next year)

15th. For me.............anywhere as long as we don't get bloody relegated.........year after onwards and upwards

Anywhere in the top half of the season

7th if the new guys fit in well.

Staying up would be OK too!

8th

Who's in charge of predictions here?
Surely this is cheating? He's got a much better chance of winning already
Right then...
anywhere in division one
but if I have to stick my head on the block I'll go for 9th (and I wouldnt complain about that either)

It's hard to say but I think we will struggle to get into the top half with the squad at present. I don't think we will go down though, we will stay in league one comfortably.

There are no gimme gimme home wins against Accrington Stanley or Boston this season and our first few games look a bit tricky if I remember rightly......

16th

9th. Another bad start but pick up towards the latter half. Late surge but then miss out on p/offs.

11th for me

2nd.

7th

We will finish our traditional 6th.

Most of us would have a job getting it any more totally wrong than we did the season before last.

Lots and lots of very silly people, I was going to wait but as Danny Boy has said he isn't buying anymore players which effectively leaves you with a squad that couldn't even win the fourth division with the subtle difference of a much worse keeper I am going for 19th.

10th.

Sorry mate, but your claim to football expertise stems from what?? Darlington??? You're fookin' kidding. You obviously need a word with Quakers and the other trolls who were at the same tricks last season and got it SHOVED RIGHT UP 'EM!!!!!!!!!

With Brackstone in there you'll be lucky to finish the season at all. Now run along, this is a League One board. Go and check where Dagenham and Redbridge and Morecambe play or summat.

OK son, I see what you are saying, prepared for a bet with proceeds going to a charity?

If kev is your son that must make you at least 95 years old

I had you doen as being younger than that though

It's a term of enderement, but to matters in hand, I see that kev himself predicted a 2nd place finish and the majority suggest a top 8 finish.

Without opening an argument how is this theory decided? Not taking into account your new signings you have lost one of your best players, and a critical one at that, it would suggest a bottom half finish when you look at some of the quality, and indeed spending that is going on in League 1.

Now, taking into account your new signings, the Likes of Moore and Budtz would at first not seem to be that great, but the rest are unknown and a lot hinges on them performing, if Danny has found some gems then maybe a top half finish is on, but if they are average then a struggle seems to be the ultimate answer. Very much like our own predicament, Hartlepools squad of last season would not stay up in League 1 and Darlo's Team of last season would not compete in League 2.

For the record I will say now, with thought applied, Hartlepool 16th and Darlington 6th.

There is very little in number ones post that I can disagree with.

But hopefully the team that we have at present can start off reasonably and stay within touching distance of the play offs until january where we can strengthen and push on. I have a feeling tat it will be a mediocre season of mid tableness which is better than a relegation dogfight.....

What I cannot understand is you clearly will have money after some canny sales in the last few seasons and the savings made by utilising what has proved to be a very successful youth system which also means big savings on wages as journeymen want more than the kids. I know the ground will not generate much money even by league 2 standard (though small ground almost full v big ground half empty may level the playing field), you seem to have wealthy owners but the big question remains, where is the money for transfers? is it a case of danny doesn't need it and he is saving it just in case or money is not available?

A twit, that is far too pleasant, he is an A1 t.w.at

I'll go for the last play-off berth

I can't see us conceding many goals again this season, our already solid defence has been strengthened considerably by the signings of Antwi, Elliott and McCunnie so there is far more competition at the back to keep everyone on their toes.

I can envisage plenty of 1-0 wins like last season

Pools apparently made a hefty ish bid for Daryl Duffy so that would suggest that money is there. KH also gave the impression that money would be aailable to strengthern at the end of last season. As far as I'm aware IOR have a policy of paying what they consider to be the right price for the right player and don't set a budget as such, maybe someone could put me right on this.

Danny Wilson seems reasonably happy with the squad, I am also fairly happy because I don't think Pools will go down or be in any real danger of going down but to suggest that we will be pushing for promotion like some people have with the current squad is very over optomistic in my opinion.....

Forgot about the Duffy money, guess that will have been anything between 100k/200k?

Maybe a case of seeing how they get on pre season and maybe add if necesary or as I think you mentioned see what is needed in January, a blue sky signing to push on for promotion or bread and butter player to get you out of the mire etc etc.

In the main that seems a reasonable summary although I would take issue with the start point. Had we signed no one other than a replacement for dimi I would be confident of staying up. If last season proved anything it was that we should not have gone down in 2005/06. Where we failed last season was in the back up players; when key players were out we had to play people out of position or bring in players who were not good enough. I don't think that we are much stronger in the first choice team but the players that Wilson has signed means that if someone is out then there is a player just as capable ready to step in. Take the final game last season: had we had good replacements for Nelson, Monkhouse and Barker then I believe there would be a trophy sitting in victoria Park.

I guess the key thing is how the new players gel.

I believe I'm right in saying that the champions of the last four seasons, Plymouth, Luton, Southend, Scunny, none of them favourites, did not do any major close season recruiting, just a few tweaks.
You might also observe that all four of them were recent promotees. Luton did it in their third season after promotion, Plymouth and Scunny in their second, and Southend in their first.

Also I'm inclined to look at the Scotty season as a major exception to be discounted. It is after all the only time in EIGHT YEARS that we haven't finish in the play-offs or higher.

Finally, I don't believe this squad to be any poorer than the one that reached the League One play-offs the two seasons before that.

That's why I think that sixth place is not being over ambitious.

Based on...I have never rated Moore, and has a poor record, and the reports of Budtz are that he has the potential, but makes lots of mistakes. But admittedly I have not seen much of them so happy to admit only based on statistics and others opinions.

In essence you agree with me, a lot hinges on new signings and how they adapt?

Fair play mate, all about opinions, I suppose you have Porter back fit aswell now and a decent Manager who has had time to gel the Team. Is the benchmark a Colchester or Southend for you?

5th

I don't do predictions cause I'm superstitious.

However, as previously said it depends on our signings and one of them, Lee-Barrett is the dogs bollocks and if he maintains his form shown in the 45 mins against Newcastle then I think we'll be hard to score against with him in net and our solid defence...touch wood.

I think its too early to rate either of our new keepers. Lee-Barrett did look good and Budtz looked shaky but there is nothing to say that respective form will reverse before or during the season.....

But he's still the dogs bollocks.

Fook me, the pub philosopher.

It is arrived at because a sports team is greater than the sum of it's parts. hence the reason we were fookin' pants until November last year when Danny got to grips with the team. The previous regime's team I might add. Fair enough you weren't around to see the transformation, but I was.

It matters not how much money is spent, we play a small eleven called Leeds United next season, how much fookin' money do you want to spend?? How much did Forest spend last year and did what?? They've just done it again as well, why will it be different this season?? Ditto Swansea. Robbie Elliott unknown?? Only if you've been drinking heavily since 1997.

So I looked at the core of a team that almost made it two seasons ago, looked at the additions and took into account the great managerial ability, something we didn't have last time and came up with second.

Oh and if your goalkeeper is that critical you really need to sort your back four out. Important yes, critical no.

Not once did I mention Robbie, but he is unknown...at this level, Neil Maddison, Bobby Petta, Alun Armstrong all looked great on paper but couldn't adapt to our level.

And Leeds, yes they are a small eleven now, in fact they may struggle to get eleven together. As for Forest they had the Martin Scott effect last year and unless they get rid of Calderwood may struggle again.

Robbie Elliott is a new signing. Ergo you say he is unknown. Then deny it two pages later and assert that you said something else. We've strengthened all over the park, well in my opinion. Certainly Moore and Elliott's records speak for themselves, Antwi is not a mug if he's on Liverpool's books.

Maddison, Armstrong and Petta were the pearls in a sea of swine, and were managed by a lunatic martinet in a division full of park cloggers. They had no chance of acquitting themselves with honour. We have a consistent winning team, we didn't even wing it last season we strolled it for the vast majority of the New Year, thus proving that it was bad management and not lack of talent that did for us.

In fairness you belong in that echelon of fans where a 1-0 over Bury still gives you a semi, whereas we expect such things as that as a given, a mere stepping stone to greater heights.

Catch us if you can.

So you think Budtz is an improvement on Dimi, interesting.

But don't we say that every season? I can't ever remember looking and saying what a load of crap in this division. Last time we were promoted I remember looking at the first half dozen games and thinking "OMG what have we got ourselves into," not "this is a doddle we should finish top six easily."

Most teams have an overhaul during the close season, and those that have the biggest ones, with supposed big-name signings, obviously set alarm bells ringing. But that is hardly ever a determining factor is it. The teams that do best in these divisions are those that have a maturing, improving team, not those that go raiding the pantry every time (Darlo *cough cough*). Look at us; we only made one signing in the close season before Cardiff and he done a runner! The next close season we looked like we were ready to go for it big time with our four and a half signings and see what happened?

I think once the debate is over some trimming of this thread may be necessary before engraving it in stone thus.

Time will tell, and you've left Barratt out of the equation. Only eight months ago, a good few were calling for Dimi's head. I hasten to add I wasn't among them but Dimi certainly had his inconsistencies and produced a fair few groan inducing moments in his four years, good as he is.

I refer again to the team being greater than the sum of it's components and the back four in front of whoever's in goal are extremely solid with backup waiting in the wings. Indeed the mighty Loids couldn't summon one goal against them last season.

well im going to say 5th top

E-I-E-I-E-I-O

6th Place for me. Our squad is stronger this season than it was at Cardiff, Porter is back, and I feel this is going to be Brown's year.

Penney, in an interview recently, said that 3 of his forwards could get 20 goals and a fourth could add 15, if true they are champions.

We have the strength in depth to challenge at the top, and I will be very dissapointed if we are outside of the top half this season.

Alright dimi glad you still looking in

I can only see us about tenth so come on lads proove me wrong,forest for the title thou.